This past summer, my little male dachshund went lame on us instantly. We rushed him to the emergency vet and many dollars later came home with only suggestions to put him down. They had given him injections and instructions to crate him. The next day he was worse and we took him to our regular vet. He had no feelings in his back half at all. We could not afford the surgery and our vet said that it was highly unlikely that it would have helped him. We did the steroid shots and some other medications that the vet sold us. We kept him crated for the week. We woke up one morning and his penis had totally extracted out of the foreskin and it was swollen and huge. He has chewed on it all night so there was blood everywhere. All I could do is cry. We rushed him to the vet and the vet suggested he be put down right away. We did put him down and it was the hardest thing for me to do. I loved that dog so much and I miss him terribly. HE was too young to die. I couldn't bare seeing him suffer the way he was too. Our family felt totally helpless and ignorant about the whole ordeal. We relied on the vets to guide us. I don't know if it was the right decision or not.
One week later, my son's dachshund which was one year older than my male, went lame also. I could not believe this was happening again. She does have some feeling in her back legs. My son has been very patient with her and caring for her daily. She has been crated and she is now able to stand for short periods on her back legs. She has been crated since August. My son takes her out and does things with her but it is difficult for him. He doesn't have a sling or chair or anything to work with her. He does the best he can working with her. I can't bare to see her in her crate. We have three other dachshunds as well. We love the breed and I worry about my other dachshunds having this issue. One is the daughter to both of these dogs.
The main reason why I am posting this is because I really want to get my son a wheelchair for his dog for Christmas. I don't have the big bucks to spend on the nice ones that I see online. Does anyone have one that they are willing to sell for a reasonable amount of money? Or is there anyone on here that can build a basic PVC pipe one for our dog?? I cannot pay more than $50 and that is a lot for me right now with Christmas and two sons in college and one 8 year old.
I would be grateful for any help that I can get from anyone. I have tried looking on craigslist and such for used ones. Ebay is $150 plus. I just can't afford it. Together, my son and I have spent out almost $4000 on the two dogs. I wish I could afford to do a surgery on Freckles because I think she may be able to benefit from it, but for now, I would like very much for her to be able to run around with the other dogs. My son also loves dachshunds. He and his girlfriend have 3 together. He is so good with his dogs and he loves this dog so much. He would not think of putting her down. He has another semester of college to go before getting his bachelor's degree and we just can't afford to pay a lot. If someone can help us or even point us in the right directions, I would appreciate it so much!
Thanks!
