CrateandWait
"Waaait a minute," you may be thinking. "Just how much is this surgery going to cost me?" That depends on where you live and where you take your Dachshund, but the all-inclusive charges probably will range from $800 to over $2,000 (most are probably close to $1,500). For many Dachshund owners, surgery isn't an affordable option, so is surgery your only choice when your Dachshund's disks go bad?
No, although for severe episodes, it has the highest success rate — by a long shot. The other option is the one used more frequently for Type II herniations (see the earlier section "Understanding your chondrodystrophic canine"). In Dachshund circles, it's known as crate-and-wait, or crate rest. Crate rest means confining your Dachshund to his den for an extended period of time — usually between two and four weeks. Three or four times per day, you take your Dachshund out to relieve himself and then you immediately return him to his den.
Insuring your dachshund
Could pet insurance be for you? If you buy pet insurance for your Dachshund puppy before he ever has any health problems and he develops disk disease, your foresight could pay off in spades. But if you wait until your dog is full-grown and he has a disk episode, it becomes a pre-existing condition, making it too late to get insurance that would cover disk surgery. Of course, you hope that your dog won't ever have a problem. I hope so, too! But pet insurance may be a smart bargain, just in case. And even if your dog stays healthy, pet insurance could help offset the cost of regular checkups and other health maintenance (depending on the kind of plan you choose).
Put Pet Insurance into an Internet search engine to compare various plans. And if you register your purebred Dachshund with the American Kennel Club, you get a free 60-day trial of pet insurance!
At first, crate rest is easy. Your Dachshund is in pain, and he probably doesn't want to move. But by the second or third day — especially if your vet has prescribed steroids or pain medication — your Dachshund is feeling a whole lot better and is getting mighty tired of that den. He wants to get out! He'll probably whine, cry, scratch, dig at the sides, and do anything he can think of to convince you to let him out.
ABEff Keeping your Dachsie confined won't be easy, but it is essential.
I repeat: essential. A medicated Dachshund is still extremely vulnerable to spinal cord injury. That injured disk is still soft, still ruptured, and perhaps still oozing nuclear material. Movement could cause permanent damage, and if he isn't feeling the pain due to medication, he'll be much more likely to move in ways he shouldn't. If you don't allow his spinal disks adequate healing time, he could easily wind up losing the use of his back legs. Keeping him in the den, no matter how much he begs (remember, you are in charge), gives him a far better chance of a full and glorious recovery.
Physical therapy is great for Dachshunds recovering from surgery and for post-crate-rest Dachshunds working to restore lost function. Commonly prescribed activities include
1 Swimming in the bathtub (never leave your Dachshund unsupervised because if his legs don't work correctly when he needs them, he could drown)
1 Towel walking, in which you hold up your dog's rear end with a towel sling draped under his abdomen i Bicycling your Dachshund's limbs to exercise his full range of motion i Massaging the affected areas
Also check out a unique invention called the Bottom's Up Leash (www.bottomsupleash.com). This leash holds up a weak or paralyzed rear end so your Dachshund can still go on walks with you while recuperating.
Preventive surgery: The debate
In some Dachshunds, back injury looks imminent. X-rays can reveal calcifications to the spine that may indicate impending disk trouble. For dogs with one or more parents that suffered, disk disease is likely. And what about the Dachshund that has already suffered one episode? Do you want him to endure surgery a second time?
More and more often, veterinary surgeons are performing a preventive surgery called fenestration. This procedure essentially drains the spinal disks of fluid to prevent any possible future hernia-tion or rupture. Many vets agree that preventive fenestration can not only prevent a first or second disk episode from occurring, but also dramatically relieve the pain and discomfort of degenerating disks as your Dachshund ages.
The surgery isn't without risks, however. A surgery gone wrong can injure a healthy spinal cord. Recovery can be painful, too.
However, a new, experimental technique called laser disk fenestration shows great promise as a safer alternative with an easier recovery. Be sure to talk to your doctors about this option.
Other complications include a reaction to the anesthesia or a post-surgical infection, although these complications aren't very common. Your Dachshund could also suffer from arthritis later in life because his disks won't work to ease the friction between vertebrae.
In general, a normal, healthy Dachshund has no cause to undergo preventive fenestration. It's definitely something to consider, however, if your Dachshund is already undergoing surgery to prevent a second incident. The surgeon would fenestrate the afflicted disk as well as disks in the surrounding area. Or, if genetic or other factors make rupture particularly likely, fenestration may be a good idea. Your vet can help you evaluate the benefits and risks.
¿S^^K Five specific disks account for about 99 percent of disk ruptures in Dachshunds, so these five are commonly fenestrated during surgery for a ruptured disk or as a preventive.
Living with Paralysis: Is It a Quality Life?
For some Dachshunds, no matter what preventive measures have been taken, paralysis becomes an unfortunate reality. You love your pet dearly. Does paralysis really necessitate euthanasia?
This is a question many Dachshund owners struggle with, and strong opinions exist on both sides. A paraplegic Dachshund can still get around, with some help, but also requires more care than a fully functional Dachshund. Are you up for it?
jiJMEff You may think you can't put your Dachshund through it: the surgery, iT\ the pain, the crate rest, the suffering, and so on. This is (arguably) Bsl ) the least viable reason for having your Dachshund put down, however. Dogs don't have all the complicated emotional associations we do when it comes to pain and paralysis. If they can recover and live free of pain, even if paralyzed, they'll be perfectly happy — as long as they can be with you.
Many, many people have chosen to live with their paralyzed Dachsies and wouldn't have it any other way. These dogs are still capable of great love, affection, and good health apart from their paralysis. Some paralyzed Dachsies even recover full or partial use of their legs long after their owners had abandoned all hope that they would ever walk again. Many other people, on the other hand, have chosen euthanasia for their pets, for one reason or another — the desire to avoid suffering for the pet or the owners, lack of knowledge, inability to care for a paralyzed pet, and/or cost of the procedure, to name a few.
The choice, obviously, is up to you and your family. A paralyzed Dachshund and his people must endure certain challenges, even after the pain is gone. For example, he won't have bladder or bowel control and can be more susceptible to bladder infections, urine scalding (getting burned by the acid urine), and pressure sores from sitting in one place for a long time.
But remember, to a Dachshund, quality of life means a good meal, a pat on the head, and you by his side. He doesn't know to be embarrassed by lack of bladder control (although he will know something is very wrong if you are constantly upset because of this or other associated conditions). He doesn't care if he can't walk across the room to get his favorite ball. He'll be perfectly happy to have you do the fetching!
Of course, if your Dachshund continues to be in pain, euthanasia may be the only humane option. But if the pain resolves, your Dachshund, with your help, can find a way to have a perfectly satisfactory, rewarding life. One Dachshund owner I know said it best: If that Dachshund spirit returns, your dog is telling you he has quality of life. Period. If you're struggling with the euthanasia decision, let your Dachshund tell you what to do and don't listen to anyone else. Sometimes, humans have awfully funny ideas about things.
Life with a paralyzed Dachsie is challenging but rewarding, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes filled with joy, but always an adventure. May you and your special Dachshund have many more happy years together.
Can't bear to look at that poor, pitiful dog with his legs dragging behind him? Carts are available for paralyzed dogs, and these wheeled contraptions allow paraplegic Dachshunds to get around quite nicely. Your Dachshund doesn't know the meaning of the word pitiful. He'll adapt, learning to pull himself with his front feet. Some tasks are more difficult, but what Dachshund isn't up for a challenge?
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