Had to put my 10 yr old large standard Dachshund to sleep . He was in the kitchen and was fine , when I walked back into the kitchen 2 mins later , he was sitting with both hind legs sticking straight out . Took him to the vet the next morning and he was completely paralyzed from his waist down. He could not feel anything including the urge to urinate . Had to symptoms before this as he was very active running and walking. The vet said it was degenerative dusk disease or a tumor on his spine that was causing the paralysis, and even with surgery the hope of him walking again or being able to urinate or poop on his own would be so extremely low. He Weighed 39 lbs . , was overweight but not grossly as he had large muscle mass. He was my companion always by my side , I am devastated , and so lost and empty without him, but I didnt want him to live that way , and the vet said he could have bad infections with his bladder and complications since he had no feeling . He’s be gone 3 weeks and the pain is almost unbearable. I hope I did the right thing . It was so peaceful at the end as he could not feel anything while being put to sleep . Still in shock how suddenly this happened . He was so full of life and was my true guardian Angel. Will never get over losing him.

Hi Kelly. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Surgery is indeed expensive. If you can afford it, it’s often the best option but all hope is not lost if you can’t. Many Dachshunds partially or fully recover with “conservative treatment” (meds, create rest, and rehab) alone. Ask your vet but it’s my understanding surgery needs to be done right away to be affective. If surgery is not done now, conservative treatment may be your best option anyway.

I have a 4 almost 5 ur old mini doxie. Wobbly in the back and last night. Got her out of her crate this morning. Put her in the floor her back legs where gone. She is currently at the Er for the night. They’ve given us a really high amount that short of selling my organs(lol) we can’t afford. I feel the only thing im going to be able to do for her is meds an crate rest. And maybe surgery in like a month or so. So I have time to get some money together.

I’m glad you’re had such success. I know this comment is almost a month old but I will caution you against stopping conservative treatment so soon. It takes a minimum of 5 weeks for scar tissue to “heal” the disk. Before that, your dog may act healed but they are not internally and your pup can continue to have issues/flare-ups with the same disk in the future because it’s not fully healed. I’ve, unfortunately, seen it happen way too much. I respect that it’s your pup and your choice – just sharing from 15 years of experience with Dachshunds.

Hi Michael. I’m sorry you’re having this experience with your pup. Hopefully you’ve been able to see your veterinarian by now and have some answers and a treatment plan.

I have a 5 year old female dachshund came home from work she couldn’t walk took her to emergency vet they said she needs surgery brought star home been giving her meds and pain meds going toy regular vet today I hope so my question is complete crate rest I’ve been up all night with my baby I’m so worried

Thank you for this info. I did the following. As his pain was high, he was not moving around and content to just lay on the dog bed. I covered him with light blanket, tented my heating pad over his back and put on the warm setting. It’s an extra large. I carried him to go out to potty and carried him back in. He didn’t eat or drink for 3 days. I finally got him to eat bananas, a little bit anyway. About a week after he was doing a bit better. I had done heating pad 3 times a day. His appetite increased so he was eating and drinking a bit more. For 4 days now he is almost back to normal. His gind legs are, I’m hoping weak from not using them. His right side is a little worse. I’m still carring him when he’ll ket me, but he’s doing great. Oh, and I did CBS in peanut butter for dogs. I’m pleased where we have gotten to with out all the other stuff. I believe it was a slipped disk that was the issue. If it had ruptured, he’d still be down for the count. I had many people praying for him. Prayer works! Thank you for all information that allowed me to make choices that I had to make. Bless you all for your kindness.

Hi James. Thank you for sharing Chia’s story. It’s uplifting to hear my blog post helped and that she is doing so well.

Yes, I am still actively maintaining this blog. However, I don’t have the time to answer the comments section as often as I would like. Everything in the article is still what I would recommend, which is why it is not updated (there was no need). If you still have questions, feel free to email me at Jessica@pettalkmedia.com

Hi Jacqueline. I’m sorry this is happening. I don’t have personal experience with expressing a dog’s bladder or bowels due to IVDD/paralysis but I’ve read some about it. If you haven’t already, look for videos on YouTube. I know I’ve seen a few there. You may also want to join this IVDD support group on Facebook and as for help/advice there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/565689017647245

HI Julie. This does definitely sound like IVDD. Unfortunately, most of what I would suggest to keep him comfortable would cost as much as a vet visit. Check out the website Dodgerslist. At the very least, he should be put on crate rest for at least a couple weeks to see if he improves. You can probably also find some YouTube videos about stretching. Also, there is an IVDD support group on Facebook that sometimes loans out the LumaSoothe light therapy device, which can reduce inflammation naturally. You can find that group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/565689017647245 Good luck.

My dachshund try to jump on the couch and yelped and after that he was walking around limping this was two days ago and now he’s completely paralyzed on his hind legs I know I need to get him to a vet but I don’t have any money completely broke he said he’s my little baby I don’t know what to do for him he was attacked by a husky a couple months ago and recovered I do have is anti-inflammatory pain meds still but my question is how can I help him go potty when I pick him up he peed all over my hand how can I help him go

Your post is about 3 years old are you still active, I need helpful advice for my little girl is paralyzed in her back legs

We have our happy little baby back again.
Today she scratched herself with her rear right hind leg for the first time in more than 5 weeks. The voluntary shaking of her head from side to side (flapping her ears) tells us she has her sensations back to normal. The attention seeking barking is back too.

Best regards
James

Ps. (I think Chia got very used to being carried around the house and her little trips outside. She never did miss out at any time. In part, I think this helped with her recovery). Smells and routine are important for dachshunds. This was introduced early and as frequent as possible.

Oh, gosh Terri. I’m so sorry. What a horrible experience to go through. Yes, in some cases, dogs can develop a subsequent spinal condition – sorry, I can’t remember it right now but it starts with an M – that cases the paralysis to progress despite the best efforts. The spine can also continue to deteriorate on it’s one. If this moves up the neck, it can most definitely affect the nerves that control the lungs. I’m sorry you had to say goodbye at all but especially when she was so young.

I have 5 now. These are not my first doxies, but after 25 years – I’m hooked.

My 10th one?

Hi Heather. The capsules can work as long as they are just a carrier oil (olive and coconut) and turmeric. In other words, there should be no other ingredients except perhaps black pepper (it helps the turmeric work). BUT the amount that comes in one capsule is probably too much to give your pup at once, especially when starting out. I give Summit and Gretel (who are each about 10.5 lbs) a quarter teaspoon of golden paste (my own turmeric mix – you can find recipes online). I will warn you, turmeric can make your dog’s face smell like cat urine/ammonia at least during the initial detox phase. Adding some cinnamon to your pup’s food can help get rid of that smell.

Will the capsules help just the same or does it have to be the powder. My baby dash is 6 and is having pain and welps sometimes when he lays down. I’m prayin

Hi Brenda. I’m sorry to hear Bleu Ivy is going through this again (and you). I run a large Dachshund club and we’ve had several members over the years with Dachshunds in wheelchairs. The dogs were very happy and had a great quality of life, although the owners did admit it can take quite a bit of work to help them go potty and keep their back feet from getting scraped when dragging. That can happen if they touch the ground while the cart is moving – socks help that – or they are dragging their legs around the house when not in the cart – paralyzed Dachshunds often use what is called a “drag bag” around the house to prevent this. Hoping the best for you guys.

I’m very sorry for your loss David. It is true that there can be a wide variety of outcomes and some are the worst one you want.

Thank you so much! We are going to the vet today but all the comments here and your articles are giving me hope that we’ll get Olive out on the trails again. I just want to be as careful as possible to give her the best chance of recovery. Happy trails!

It’s been a long time and I did it under the close supervision of a rehab vet. She assessed Gretel and told me when it was ok to start. It will vary for each dog. I do believe that we were able to start after two weeks though.

Hi Natalie. Have you taken Rosie to the vet to confirm the issue is with her back? I imagine it is but it’s important to get confirmation. If so, you can try conservative treatment – steroid shot from the vet, medication, and strict crate rest for at least 5 weeks. Even though she may seem better before then, you must do the whole 5 weeks. That is the minimum time it takes scar tissue to form over the disk and “heal”. If you don’t do the entire time, Rosie can have an issue with the same disk later. Unfortunately, as may be the case here, a dog that has IVDD can have a rupture in a different disk later so it could just be this is a new case and not a re injury of the old one. I know you said you tried the crate last time and she hated it but her being immobile is crucial to her recovery. You may either have to work though her hating it until she gives in or seek medication from your veterinarian to help her relax in there. Some people also build their dog a “recovery suite” that isn’t as enclosed as a crate but that is very restrictive for their activity. You can read more about how to do that here: https://dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/. You may also want to read my article on how we got through 10 weeks of crate rest with Gretel (who is now fully healed): https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/dog-crate-rest-tips/ Good luck to you guys!

Hi Joy. Are you following the strict crate rest protocols (absolutely no walking)? Has it been more than a week? If the answer to both of those is yes and it’s still not getting better, I suggest you call your vet to let him or her know.