Welcome Home Charles!

On Sunday morning, I was up by 6, showered, dressed and ready to get Charles. I had to wait to hear from the Dr that it was okay for him to come home. In the morning they would do their rounds and assess the patients. I called at 8 to speak with one of the technicians that looked after Charles. They informed me that overnight Charles had chewed through his IV. What a troublemaker! I knew this meant he was feeling better! I was told I would know by 10 whether or not he could come home.

When the Dr called I was practically waiting by the door with my shoes on. He said that Charles could come home and I hopped in the car, got a ticket on the way there (right turn onto residential street at restricted time - OF COURSE) and we arrived!

Charles and I were reunited and it was the cutest thing ever! I have never seen him so happy (and relieved). We really had to work hard to keep him calm - this actually was only achieved by getting your face as close to the floor as possible. When we got home, I put him straight in his crate and he then slept for close to three days straight, only waking up to eat and go to the bathroom.

I was thrilled to have him home and to be able to take care of him!

Getting Ready for Charles to Come Home

With Charles' surgery a success, I had to make preparations for him to come home. He would need to be on crate rest for at least a month. I borrowed a large kennel from a family member, stockpiled blankets and bought some really nice meat.

I set up his cage and made it comfy, yet with a very flat and soft yet firm base. I had noticed that he preferred a firm bed after he got hurt, so I put away the Dutchie Bowser Bed. I also took an old Tempur-Pedic pillow from our bed (it needed to be retired anyway) and put that aside. This would become Charles' favourite thing!

I also had to buy a new harness. Truth be told, despite owning and knowing that a harness would be easier on Charles' back, I never used it. Most of our walks would be to Cherry Beach, the woods in Aurora or Ashbridges Bay Park where Charles would be off leash. Any shorter walks would be just jaunts around the block. So I set out to buy a good harness as Charles would not be off leash for long while. After some research, I settled on the Buddy Belt. It seemed to be the best fitting least restrictive and minimalist of all the others I looked at. Plus it had the bonus of completely avoiding the incision on Charles' back.

Friday and Saturday were long days. By Saturday night, I was ready for Charles to come home. On Saturday evening, I had dropped off some extra food at VEC. I had made a point not to visit Charles because having never been away from me before, coupled with never having been in a cage, his anxiety was pretty bad. He had to be moved to the back room because he was making some pretty terrible noises. Granted, the medication probably had something to do with it, but I was worried that my visit would get him too excited, and then make him even more upset when I left. When I dropped the food off, I asked if there was any way I could see Charles without him seeing me. They snuck me into the back and once I got close and heard him, I knew that I couldn't let him sense I was there!

He was making noises that were a combination of a cry, whine and a panicked howl. It was the worst thing I could have done! I had so much anxiety after that. I was told he didn't make the sound all the time and he was sleeping alot but it was terrible!

The Big Day!

On Thursday morning we dropped Charles off at VEC bright and early. Of course I sent along the essentials: his homemade food, pain medication, his stuffed wiener dog, a fall coat and a list of all his information. I knew he would need the coat with his back being shaved. When we arrived we were taken into one of the exam rooms to I could fill out all the forms. We completed them and then one of the Dr's technicians came in to answer any questions I had. My mind was racing and I couldn't really think of anything on the spot. She told me to have a harness when I came back in, to replace the collar.

I explained the feeding situation, asked a few questions about the timing of the day and then passed off my little Charles to the technician. He didn't even look back and went straight into the back room with her. I paid the bill and left, my stomach in knots.

I waited by the phone all day. Every time it rang I jumped out of my seat. The procedure for the day was that they were going to take blood, test it for purposes of the anaesthesia, do the CT scan in order to determine exactly what was going on in his back, and if he was indeed a candidate for the surgery and then the actual surgery itself.

Dr. Kilburn said he would call me right after the CT scan to let me know they were going ahead. The call came and Dr. Kilburn told me that they were ready to proceed. He said that one of the herniations was in an area that could possibly make Charlie have an limp. The limp would be unrelated to pain. He said he would call me after he was done in about 1.5 - 2 hours.

2.5 hours later and I was freaking out. I called the clinic and they were still in surgery. I was told the doctor would call me after Charles had woken up.

Around 4pm I got the call. The surgery was a success and it took a lot longer because Charles was so big! I was thrilled and immediately felt some relief! Charles would stay in the intensive care unit until the morning. I was encouraged to call whenever I felt like it to check up Charles.

Two bad days!

The Tuesday and Wednesday prior to the surgery were rough. I had been given pain medication to give Charles to make him more comfortable. He was supposed to get the medication three times per day. On Tuesday, I pilled him before work at 7 am. I then returned home at 5:30 and came in the house to a crying wiener dog. He was sitting on his bed and moving like he couldn't get comfortable, all the while making the most terrible crying noises. He was clearly in agony. I had gone too long in between giving him is pain meds. I immediately pilled him, calmed him down and called the clinic. They said if he was not feeling better in ~20 minutes that he would need to go to the emergency clinic for much stronger meds.


Twenty minutes later he was substantially more calm, in a bit less pain and my heart had calmed down. I took him outside to pee (I think he had to pee really bad too). It was a better night, but I still set my alarm to exactly 8 hours from the last time he had his meds. This meant I was up at 2 am, then went into work late so I could pill him precisely. This more accurate management was really beneficial and I felt terrible for screwing it up in the first place.

Seeing how uncomfortable he was without medication (which he had been on since Sunday) really confirmed my decision to send Charles for the operation.

The Right Decision

After leaving the VEC, I called my family and boyfriend and spoke to them about Charles' surgery. They expressed the same concerns I had prior to the appointment. I really wished someone had come with me to hear how positive Dr. Kilburn was about Charlie's outcome. That being said, everyone loves Charles so much and was equally supportive about sending Charles for the operation.

A few hours after leaving, I called Dr. Kilburn and booked Charles in for Thursday. It was going to be a big day and I was very anxious about having Charles' little body go through this sort of thing, but I was confident in my choice.

Later that day, Charles was very sore again. He was getting worse. I think it was because of all of the movement and stress of going to see the vet again. He was hunched, would yelp when he moved a certain way and was definitely unhappy. We made him comfortable on a flat bed (no more huge cushion bed for awhile) and looked anxiously forward to Thursday.

VEC - Hope for Charles

Charles and I met with Dr. Greg Kilburn, a veterinary neurologist at VEC. He took a look at Charles and his X-rays. He could tell right away that Charles indeed was suffering from a ruptured disc and explained intervertebral disc disease to me. I think I probably only heard about half the words he was saying. Basically, the stuff inbetween the individual vertebrae had gotten hard (this was genetic), and pressure made it rupture and put pressure on his spinal cord. Dachshunds are at the top of the list for this to happen. It is not because they have long backs, it is just that with that gene also comes this condition.

Dr. Kilburn then told me that Charles was a candidate for a Hemilaminectomy – removal of one wall of the vertebrae to extract the disc material from the spinal canal – and Fenestration – extraction of calcified disc material – on some of the other discs. I asked the question I was thinking about since I left my normal vet:

Will this surgery make Charles better or is it just going to make me feel better?

He told me that Charles can get better. His normal would be a little different than his old normal, but that we were lucky because he had not suffered paralysis of his back legs. Even with paralysis, the surgery may be able to help dogs regain use of their legs. That this would be a long road to recovery but that Charles could have his life back. And with that I was sold. When finding out about the price - I said that I would have to speak to my family about it, but I knew that this had to be done.

Dr. Kilburn told me to think about it but to call him as soon as possible. Charles would need a CT scan in order to determine that surgery was in fact an option, and exactly what needed to be done.

While waiting in the waiting area, I met a man whose dog had had the same surgery about six weeks prior. He told me that his dog had just been out walking, yelped, then lost the use of its back legs. The dog was there in the waiting room and was walking around no problem. It was very helpful to witness that while I was there.

What if?

Following the x-rays, Charles was noticeably more sore and uncomfortable. He sat in a strange hunched position that he had never done prior. I figured he was sore from being manipulated and struggling through the x-rays. He self-imposed restrictions on his movement. He was guarded and unhappy. I have never thought about Charles being injured or requiring surgery. I went on google and read all sorts of terrible things about intervertebral disc disease. The dogs with the wheels scared me. My head started going down the road about maybe having to euthanize him. It was terrible.

I am not the kind of person to allow an animal to experience unnecessary suffering. I pictured the surgery being the kind of thing a person does in order to make themselves feel like they have done everything for the animal. From what I understood about the spine and the spinal cord, I didn't think this was an issue that could be resolved. With that in mind, I woke up early on Monday, told work I would not be in, and called VEC as soon as they opened. I was lucky to get a same day appointment with one of their neurologists.

Bad News

I visited Dr. Raza of Toronto Central Animal Clinic. Dr. Raza hasn't been Charlie's vet for long. Truth be told, Charles has never needed to go to the vet before this year. I don't really believe in vaccinations per se. I had Charles vaccinated this year however because he joined a playgroup and that was a prerequisite. Short of some allergies, Charles had been in excellent health. That was until this day.

I ran through my account of events with Dr. Raza. Immediately I noticed his expression change and he looked very serious. He has been a good vet, always leaning on towards the conservative treatment, but this time he said we would have to do x-rays. He was concerned Charles had ruptured a disc in his back. He took Charles into the back and I did what any normal person would do. I sat there and googled the shit out of it. My stomach sank as Dr. Raza showed me the x-rays. Even to my untrained eye, I could see the rupture. He took out his veterinary diagram book and showed me an illustration of this problem, which I would learn is caused by Intervertebral Disc Disease. He told me Charles would require surgery in the next few weeks. I couldn't even process this. Charles need surgery? He definitely was in a bit of pain but he didn't seem so bad. Dr. Raza gave me a referral to VEC - the Veterinary Emergency Clinic on McMurrich St. in Toronto. I would need to get in to see a veterinary neurologist in short order.

I took the referral, went home and sobbed on the floor for my weiner dog.

The Motivation Behind this Blog

On Thursday, October 20, 2011, our lives changed. I came home from work expecting to find a tired out wiener dog. He had been out to dog day camp that day. Usually he would go with five or so other dogs to Cherry Beach to run and play. When I came home, Charles ran up to me to give me his usual greeting, which involved jumping up. As he attempted to lift his body off the floor, he shrieked in pain. This was a moment I'll never forget. Immediately I knew something was wrong. I thought I would give it two or so days to see if he was feeling better. He had never had any back problems before so I figured it was just muscle strain.

I made a point to drastically reduce his exercise, increase rest and applied ice to his lower back 3-4 times over the next two days. By Saturday, he wasn't doing any better. I called the vet to make an appointment for the next day. That night I stressed out about it, but figured Charles just had soft tissue injuries. What happened the next day at the vet is what motivated me to start this blog.