Hello everyone,
I cannot thank you enough for all of the donations that have come in over the past week. It has been a very emotionally and physically draining experience. Given the limited window the first neurologist outlined, Willie has about two weeks left where surgery is likely to help; after that, they feel it may no longer provide a benefit. Willie has been in and out of the ER, and I have been speaking with different neurologists and vets. At one point, I thought we were going to have to euthanize him because of the pain he seemed to be in, but after our last conversation with a new neurologist, we received some very positive news.
He reviewed Willie’s initial prognosis and explained that it was too early to say with confidence that Willie would be completely paralyzed or unable to use his bladder and bowels for the rest of his life. Without an MRI, it wasn’t a valid reason to euthanize him so soon. They did confirm there is quite a bit of swelling around his spine, and he has been on medications and will begin steroids next week, which can help reduce inflammation in dogs with spinal injuries.
I also want to give a special shoutout to Christine Fontaine, founder of an organization called Dollars for Doxies. Her nonprofit helps dachshund owners pay for treatments like conservative care, acupuncture, cold laser, and other therapies for back injuries. When I was reaching out for direction and guidance on how to handle this injury, I was lucky enough to come across her foundation. She called me back directly, and we spoke for quite some time about Willie’s condition and how this type of injury can be curable with time and without surgery in many cases. Her foundation has been helping dachshunds with IVDD-type injuries for years, and she now travels around the country supporting dogs like Willie. She has become both a friend and someone I can rely on who has extensive experience with this kind of injury.
Like I previously stated, starting next week, we will begin steroids and start acupuncture and massage therapy to help relieve the swelling and stiffness and, hopefully, keep Willie on track to start using his bladder on his own again. For now, he is comfortable, in no pain, eating his regular dog food, and hanging out in a new pet pen I bought for him while I am away. Thank you again for all the donations everyone has given. The money raised will go toward his acupuncture, red light therapy, massages,and any other treatments he needs to get better.
Once Willie is back to his old self, I will happily donate any remaining funds to a dachshund-focused foundation, such as Dollars for Doxies, to help other families facing the same situation.
I will keep sharing updates in the weeks ahead so you can follow the journey Willie is on to regain the use of his legs. Thank you all again for your incredible support!
