Nelson’s Veterinary Fund

Nelson was taken to the vet on Saturday, February 2nd because he had been lethargic for a few days and wasn’t interested in eating or drinking. After x-rays, blood work, and urinalysis, he went home with pain medication and an anti-inflammatory medication and instructions to be on cage rest, no running, jumping, stairs, etc. The X-rays showed a slight separation of a couple discs in his back, which the doctor had suspected. This is common in Dachshunds. Friday evening while out, both dogs were in their kennel. When we came home, Scrappy was excited and I was fumbling trying to open the kennel door in the dark. Then Nelson let out the worst scream ever. He hollered in pain until I could get him out. I held him and comforted him. He calmed down, though he was visibly in pain and scared. I tried to get him to stand up and he couldn’t. I backed up a bit and called for him to come to me and he was dragging his back legs. Immediately we took him to the emergency vet. The doctor had told me, if that scenario happens where he can’t use his back legs, he needs to get to an emergency vet ASAP.Upon evaluation, the doctor found that he did have feeling in his back legs, which was good news. But, he was unable to use them at all, that’s the bad news. The condition he has is: “Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a condition where the cushioning discs between the vertebrae of the spinal column either bulge or burst (herniate) into the spinal cord space. These discs then press on the nerves running through the spinal cord causing pain, nerve damage, and even paralysis.” Our options were: (1) Take him home, keep him on strict cage rest for an extended period of time, and hope it corrects itself. (2) Have surgery done, which could possibly not work, but she sounded optimistic because having feeling in his legs meant he very well would bounce back after surgery and time.And(3) Euthanasia. This one I turned down before she finished her sentence. This scenario, to me, is no good reason to end a dogs life.So we inquired about surgery. Long story short, the estimated cost is $7,000. No, that’s not a typo. And here we are. As much as I wish I didn’t have to do this, I’m asking for help. They kept him overnight and did the surgery this morning (02/10/18). He will likely stay there until Tuesday/Wednesday. Upon taking him home is when payment is taken. I’d love to say I have $7,000 laying around waiting to pay for a pain-free, mobile life for Nelson. But, I don’t. I’m basically able to make payments, but those payments still add up to $7,000 I don’t have.If you know me, you know I love animals and I’m especially close to Nelson and Scrappy. So you would understand option #2 being the easy decision out of what was presented to me. I know times are tough for a lot of people these days, and money is tight. But if you are able to slay a few bucks to add to this goal, you and your help would be greatly appreciated and Nelson, Scrappy, my family and I would be forever grateful. Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement. And thank you in advance for any financial help you are able to assist with.

God Bless,Dorothy, Nelson & Family