disabled dogs

Joie’s Visit to Specialist Today. Someone’s Exhausted!

Posted by Barbara Techel

Wow, I just can’t say enough good things about Pewaukee Veterinary Center, Dr. Ann-Margaret Morgan, Sarah vet technician, and their staff.  Everyone is so kind and so helpful. I’m so glad to have this resource relatively close to me.

The minute we got home and came out to my writing cottage, Joie zonked out face down on her blanket!  Dr. Morgan ran her through different exercises showing me what I can do to help her get along better, and as you can see she is now exhausted. She worked really hard and I’m so proud of her.

I initially thought Joie was weak in her front legs, but she is actually super strong. Dr. Morgan was amazed at the amount of upper body strength Joie has comparing her to a super gymnast.  Though we are still perplexed as to why Joie has this wiggly back and forth motion when sitting still– or rather she can’t quite sit still.  But she felt because she does not have use of her back legs she has been overcompensating with her front legs.

Joie does not have deep pain sensation which is the somewhat bad news and she is indeed paralyzed in her hind quarters. But her reflexes are good which will only help her in the exercises I will be doing for her.  We have to work hard to not have her back legs splay out to the sides when she scoots as that is not good at all for her muscles in her back end.  So I’ll also work with a sling to help her walk to her food dish, etc. until we can get her not to do that and then soon hopefully in a wheelchair to alleviate that as well.

Because I didn’t get any vet records from went Joie went down in May we can only guess where the rupture may have occurred and try to relate it to what we are seeing in terms of how she has tried to adjust.  The great news is she will be fine. I will do my best to work with her at home to help her become more stable in her front and back end, and then having her use a wheelchair we believe can only help her.  As always, hope is never lost that she  could walk on her own again.  You just never know.  But if she needs the wheelchair permanently that is okay too, as I know, and you all know from Frankie, these little ones live wonderful lives with the great invention of the dog wheelchair.

Joie also has some funky, fun booties to wear to help her grip better and she will wear them when we do her exercises. They are awesome!  I’ll share a photo tomorrow and a resource of where you can get them  for your dog.  Not only are they good for IVDD dogs, but also for walking your dogs in the cold and snow, etc….. and they stay on!

I’ll continue to share Joie’s progress and photos of the exercises I will be doing with her. It continues to be so important to me to share this information and continue to educate others that these dogs can live happy, healthy lives with a little help.  I feel blessed to have been able to take Joie to Dr. Morgan today, as well as feel blessed to have another little one who is inspiring me beyond words!

A Deal Breaker or Another Lesson in Trust?

Posted by Barbara Techel

In 2006 when Frankie was diagnosed with IVDD the following months caring for her and adjusting to a new way of life around a paralyzed dog was stressful. It was a test on many levels not only for myself, but for my relationship with John.  I didn’t want to have to care for a paralyzed dog, but here it was in front of me and I had a choice. I could whine about it and feel sorry for myself, or I could look for the blessings of the situation. Well, as many of you know who have followed my journey with Frankie, the blessings were plentiful and they were some of the best years of my life.

As Frankie aged, I couldn’t imagine not having another little special needs dachshund in my life again after she was gone. I knew it would be what I wanted. But John was not always on board with that idea. At times I would become quite fearful wondering what if he was really adamant about it and I couldn’t bring another IVDD doxie into our lives?  I would worry and think, could it be a deal breaker?  I don’t think I could have thrown away my marriage as I feel so fortunate to have one of what I consider the best ones.  But yet, I knew caring for an IVDD dog is what makes my soul feel complete.  And I would have never known that had Frankie not been diagnosed with IVDD!

So over the course of the past  two years I gently would share with John now and then that I would have to have another special needs doxie to care for when Frankie was gone. It was not always an easy thing to bring up, because I knew he was hesitating.

After Frankie passed and I grieved the loss of her I thought about a lot of things. I swear thinking was all I did! But what I realized for myself was at the core of all I did with Frankie, the school visits, the therapy dog visits, the books, etc. what I truly loved most was caring for her.  It was the day to day of making sure her life was a good one despite her IVDD.  This is what brought me my purest bliss.  Not having Frankie here left a big hole and void in what made me feel complete.

I’m glad I gave myself the summer to grieve Frankie, though at times I just wanted the pain to end. But it reaffirmed for me that having another IVDD dachshund was truly what I wanted. There just was no question in my mind, or even more, what was in my heart. Though I still worried that John wouldn’t understand how vital this was for me.  Could I have adjusted if he was not on board?  Sure, but I believe I would have not felt complete.

So when I saw Joie on Facebook, it was her eyes that drew me right in. I felt Frankie strongly in my heart saying, “Mama this is the one.”  I just knew. But fear rose up in my heart again and I worried that John would say no when I showed him her picture.  He didn’t say anything when I showed him Joie’s photo, so I just let him absorb it.  It is something I’ve learned to respect that he needs his own processing time, which I remember the minister telling us before we got married during our counseling sessions. So I knew I needed to let him come to his own place with all of this. It was not easy, believe me, because I was bursting with JOY. But it was also important to me to have his acceptance.

I had to trust that if this was meant to be it would all unfold in its own time. Again, not an easy thing to do. But looking back now just a few short weeks later, it feels like this is what it was meant to be all along. And guess who is head over heels in love with our new little bundle?  Well, I will let you come to your own conclusion. <GRIN>  And while my worries about a deal breaker may have been for naught, I feel like it was just another lesson in learning to trust.

Joie has brought a new joy and love into our lives and she loves to play with Kylie which really warms my heart to see. She was not a deal breaker, but instead another lesson in what matters most.  And guess who loves to snuggle with her when I am gone?  Again, I’ll let you figure that out on your own, but I have a feeling you know who that special someone is.  I am one lucky lady!!

Do Wiener Dogs Bend In Half?

Posted by Barbara Techel

Three times a day I wash Joie’s belly and flush it with Betadine.  Because she was not spayed, they spayed her before she flew home to live with us.  She almost didn’t get to fly home the scheduled day because the incision had become infected.  But thanks to Jenell of Oregon Dachshund Rescue (ODR) and Linda the volunteer with ODR, the vet felt good about releasing Joie to them and knowing she would be taken care of when she arrived at our home.

Her belly is doing so much better.  We have a ways to go– but it has improved quite a bit.  I love this time with her when I treat her tummy as it is helping us bond.  It’s funny when I first lay her down her back feet are curled up to her front feet.  I tell her that wiener dogs can’t bend in half.  Then I tell her that she has to unfold so I can help her tummy get better.  As I talk quietly and calmly to her, her little legs relax and she goes into her “mama time” trance as I gently treat her incision.

I posted a photo on Facebook yesterday of Joie looking out the front window dressed in her infant onesie.   Some wondered why I have her in it. I keep her in this to protect her belly, which also allows her to scoot around on the wood floors to help build up the strength in her front legs which seemed weak when she arrived.  I’ll try to capture a video of her scooting, cause believe me, she has no idea she has IVDD and she can fly!  And it seems her front legs are getting stronger everyday too.  I’m anxious to take her to the vet who specializes in IVDD and I’ll be doing that in about two weeks.  Her tummy has to be fully healed before then so if the vet suggests a hydrotherapy treadmill treatment we can do that and learn how, so I can adapt to do it at home for her.