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9 Year Old Girl Needs Help For Pet Doxie Lily! - IVDD

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:06 pm
by gtorres
Elle Masters' uncle found a mini dachshund that was discarded behind a dumpster next to a know puppy breeder. Elle was asked if she would like to adopt the pup. She was more than excited to, but upon evaluation by the vet, it was found the Lily (as so happened to name the pup) is suffering from IVDD. Due to the restrictive cost of the corrective surgery and the need for a cart for Lily, the vet suggested euthanizing the pup. Elle decided to fight for Lily and is now trying to raise money to help fund Lily's needs. I am the leader of Elle's youth group at church, and while her parents do not allow her to use the internet for anything but school research, I volunteered with some other adults in the group to be Elle's voice online. We ask for you shares and donations for Elle's little Lily. No pup deserves to be discarded like trash and Elle is trying to ensure that Lily knows that she is loved. Her link is below:

https://pages.giveforward.com/pet/page-h9cnx82/

Re: 9 Year Old Girl Needs Help For Pet Doxie Lily! - IVDD

Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 11:55 pm
by CarolC
https://pages.giveforward.com/pet/page-h9cnx82/ wrote:IVDD Surgery and Wheels for Lily

1% of $10,000
in 4 days
Donations appreciated for:
IVDD Surgery
Custom Cart for Back Legs

Description

Lily was found by a man on a rainy day in June under a dumpster. Her whimpers were so weak that he almost didn't hear her. He scooped up Lily and rushed her to his home. He immediately called the vet and made an appointment for the next day. The next call he made was to his niece to ask her if she would want to adopt a baby long haired Dachsund puppy.

She was over the moon and said yes. Later than night, be noticed that Lily would not walk on her back legs and would drag herself a small ways then stop. The next day the vet determined that Lily was suffering from IVDD and would need surgery and a custom cart to get around for the rest of her life. He was also informed that it would be an expensive venture. Upon notifying his niece the man was surprised to hear her ask to keep the dog still. She suggested that they reach out to the community to raise the money to get Lily what she needed. She already has a home, she just needs a few more things to make her life as normal as possible.
It is really nice of you to try to help this puppy. I can't tell for sure, but it sounds like the diagnosis was based on physical exam and not imaging due to cost, and if so then I don't think the vet can really be sure if she needs surgery. It sounds more like he was discussing possibilities.

It says the dog is going to need surgery and a cart the rest of her life. If the dog is going to need a cart for the rest of her life because she will never walk, there is no reason to do surgery. If it really is IVDD and the exam shows the dog has a chance for surgery to succeed, meaning she could walk again and not need a cart, then surgery should normally be done ASAP, without delay. If she was found in June, I question how much good surgery will do at this point, 3 months later, but that should be evaluated by a qualified vet specialist. If it is too late for surgery, a cart is a few hundred dollars at most and they do not money for surgery. Sometimes a dog that seemed to be a good candidate for surgery will still come out of surgery paralyzed, and in that case you are talking about both surgery (which failed) and a cart, but that does not sound like what they were saying. It sounds like they are saying she needs both regardless.

I have never heard of IVDD in a puppy, only in adult dogs, but I am not a vet. It is true that dachshunds get IVDD, but it seems equally possible or maybe even more likely (?) she has some kind of injury, or else some kind of birth defect. I have a long-haired chihuahua that was found abandoned on a sidewalk in Riverside, California when she was just a puppy, unable to use her hind legs. Exactly like Lilly, they think she was abandoned by a breeder. She does not have IVDD, her issue is a birth defect like spina bifida, which was not apparent to the untrained eye. She was seen by several vets who missed it. It was not properly diagnosed until she was older.

There are ways for a dog to get a back injury that is not IVDD, for example if something fell on her, or she was dropped, or some other kind of trauma, which can cause a disk injury. If it is a disk injury, there are some cases where a dog with a disk injury can recover with strict rest and medication. I do not know if it is too late to try that. There are also some infections and diseases that can causes symptoms like this. You really need to find out what is going on for sure.

There is a loan for emergency veterinary care called Care Credit. Many veterinary hospitals have the application at the front desk and you can fill it out and they submit it for you and you find out very quickly if you are approved. This may be an option for you to at least get testing done to see what is really going on with her.

While you are raising money I strongly suggest the caretakers join Dodger's List and see if they can get help with appropriate nursing care.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/

Re: 9 Year Old Girl Needs Help For Pet Doxie Lily! - IVDD

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 2:59 pm
by gtorres
Her uncle paid for premlinary imaging and was diagnosed as IVDD. The surgery is to relieve pressure on the nerve so that they can perhaps return her bladder and bowel functions back to normal. Her legs have atrophied and that is why she will not be able to use them again, but there is an element of pain and like is said bladder and bowel function that the surgery will need to try to correct. Also I understand you are trying to offer solutions but a 9 year old girl is in no position to take out a loan for this. Elle has explored many options and this is the option that she would like to explore. I've seen this quite a bit. For some reason instead of sharing and allowing this girl to do what she thinks is right she is either told she is wrong or that she has been given bad information. She is listening to what the specialist told her. She has been given all of the information that she needed to make her decision. She is going to keep fighting for what she thinks is the best path for this pup. Thank you.

Re: 9 Year Old Girl Needs Help For Pet Doxie Lily! - IVDD

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:37 pm
by CarolC
OK, I think you are saying she has deep pain sensation, and that is encouraging, I did not realize that. I'm sorry if I sounded unhelpful when you are just trying to help this situation.

Re: 9 Year Old Girl Needs Help For Pet Doxie Lily! - IVDD

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:08 pm
by pmilner
Hi gtorres! My name is Paula and I am one of the moderators on the Dodgerslist Disc Disease Care and Support Forum. Just wanted to tell you so you can relay to Ellie and her parents to keep on with never giving up hope and staying strong for her little Lily! Lily can live a very happy and happy life even if she needs to wait a bit with the assist of a wheelchair to see what degree nerves could self heal.

Surgery would be a consideration if there is still pain you mentioned that could not be resolved with 8 weeks of crate rest and meds to reduce spinal cord inflammation back in June when this happened. Disc disease can happen as early as one year old…it did to my doxie. But mostly it happens IF the dog were to be born with the disease typically 3-7 years old.

How old is Lily?

We have a ton of great ideas to help care for a dog who has lost bladder control and leg use while waiting for a surgery. It can take quite some time for nerves that are not permanently damaged to self heal …. months to up to a year even. The important thing is that Lily is not in pain currently, that she has meds to give her comfort.

Since Ellie is not allowed to get on the internet, maybe you or her parents could? We have ton’s of wonderful ideas in caring for Ellie right now. We invite you to join the Dodgerslist Care and Support Forum for disc disease at this link: http://dodgerslist.boards.net
[img]%20http://www.dodgerslist.com/index/_FORUMindex792.jpg[/img]
http://www.dodgerslist.com/index/_FORUMindex792.jpg

There is a wealth of medically correct information about disc disease with Dodgerslist's collaboration with Neuros and other veterinary health professionals...all free just for the time it takes you to read. Hope you can point Ellie and her parents to check it out: http://www.dodgerslist.com

Look forward to hearing more about Lily!

Re: 9 Year Old Girl Needs Help For Pet Doxie Lily! - IVDD

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 7:08 am
by critters
gtorres wrote:Her uncle paid for premlinary imaging and was diagnosed as IVDD. The surgery is to relieve pressure on the nerve so that they can perhaps return her bladder and bowel functions back to normal. Her legs have atrophied and that is why she will not be able to use them again, Muscles come back when they're used, so I wouldn't count out walking for only that reason. As the nerves heal, muscle function could well return.but there is an element of pain and like is said bladder and bowel function that the surgery will need to try to correct. Also I understand you are trying to offer solutions but a 9 year old girl is in no position to take out a loan for this. That's true, but you didn't say that she's 9 until just then.I just noticed that you DID put her age in the title, which I didn't read, so I stand corrected. Typically people in this situation are adults. Elle has explored many options and this is the option that she would like to explore. I've seen this quite a bit. For some reason instead of sharing and allowing this girl to do what she thinks is right she is either told she is wrong or that she has been given bad information.This isn't unusual, especially with handicappers. Many vets don't want to deal with handicappers, and it's highly important to find one that does. She is listening to what the specialist told her. She has been given all of the information that she needed to make her decision. She is going to keep fighting for what she thinks is the best path for this pup. Thank you.
There are LOADS of options that cost little or nothing, such as hydrotherapy (swimming). Many people use bathtubs, hot tubs, or natural bodies of water for this, and it allows some movement and independence. Exercises, even if done passively, can help.

Is Elle expressing poop and pee? Preventing contractures, skin breakdown, and urinary tract infections is important.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about surgery, especially at this point. Wheels can be a big help with a pupper's emotional state, and they can be homemade. PVC pipe is useful, and the hardest part is finding a harness/sling system that works nicely. Some are too stretchy, etc.

Rescue Groups who might take paralyzed doxies

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 12:23 am
by FYI