I have a miniature dachshund male named Otis that is about 4 years old and was such a runt and his full grown weight is 8 1/2 pounds. On July 3, 2011 he burst a disc in his back and I got him into emergency surgery within 24 hours and spent $5800 on the surgery and 5 day hospital stay. He never has regained the ability to walk and or go to the bathroom on his own. I manually express his bladder on a daily basis and he is able to defecate on his own but I really don't think he knows when he is going. After 6 weeks of crate rest after surgery and no progress I did 10 weeks of acupuncture and stimulation which cost $90 per session and did not make any progress. I have also done floating in the bathtub 5-6 days a week. It has been a very long and hard 7 months as when this happened I had a 2 month old son and 3 other dogs! I now consider myself having 2 children in diapers! After about 3 months and a few infections of the bladder I have been able to maintain Otis. I have spent so much money trying to get him better and I wonder if it would be better putting him down but I just can't do that. On occasion in the last few months I have seen Otis stand briefly and what appears to be taking a step or 2. He does great scooting around on his 2 front legs and dragging the behind. He seems happy and not to be in pain. Occasionally he will get a sore or 2 on his back feet from dragging them but they clear up fast.
My purpose for coming on here is to find out of there is anything I haven't tried or things that I should be doing for Otis. I did order an extra small cart, however since he is so small and short it just does not fit him properly and he didn't seem to happy about it either. I would like to believe he is going to walk again but right now I am just trying to make it the best for him.
I'm so sorry you've had to go through this with Otis. I have never had a Dachshund with back problems, so I have no experience but I can see how much you are dedicated to your little guy. You have shown him so much love and compassion. On that note, I think you're going in the right direction with the cart. Maybe he truly needs to be fitted correctly for one. I hope you can get a refund for the one that is too big for him.
I don't know if this site will help, but I've heard it's a great resource for humans who need help with their little dachsies who have back problems.
www.dodgerslist.com/
And one more thing I can think of. Do you have a Dachshund Rescue organization in your area? Perhaps they would have some suggestions for you and your cute little Otis (love the name).
Again, this is heartbreaking and ultimately, in the end, the decision is yours as to what is best for Otis and for you. I'm glad you stopped by. This isn't a hugely busy board but perhaps some of our members will drop in with a few words of wisdom and advice for you. I wish you and Otis only the best.
Should be a way for Ottis to be fitted correctly with a cart it is not good for him to be dragging his back end if the sores were to get infected would cost more in the long run to get them healed plus you do not want him to get septic. This might help
Page title: Having Trouble Affording Veterinary Care?
Link to full page: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html
Summary:
No owner wants a pet to suffer because medical care is out of reach. Financial aid is out there, and there are steps you can take to cover an emergency vet bill.
May help to get Ottis a cart that fits him ?
I would Google dog carts and then e-mail them to see if anyone might help Ottis might be worth a try.
Rays, Hugs to Ottis.
Papbouv