My Vinnie boy was just fine when we got up Wednesday morning. Happy. He was enjoying our morning cuddle. But I soon noticed he wasn't as lively as he usually is. By evening he was struggling with balance.

Thursday, things went from bad to worse, and I was looking for a fast way for the vet to see him. By 3:30 PM, I had him in emergency care. They were very alarmed at his inability to stand. They were worried about IVDD - Intervertebral Disk Disease. It can come on quickly and be devasting. He started with a grade of 3/5 on the scale they use with 90% rate of success with surgery. But by the time we got him somewhere they could do an MRI and perform the surgery, he was downgraded to 5/5 and had 50% chance of recovery.

Still, I saw no other choice. I've only had Vinnie since August. We adopted him from Mile High Dachshund Rescue, and I was utterly smitten. The surgery took place Friday evening. The doctor seems pleased with the results.

I saw him Saturday morning. He was mad at me, which was to be expected if you know Dachshunds. But he also seemed absent. Not himself at all. I was distraught but tried to hope. So many people had said that their dog had gone through this, and things worked out. But when I spoke to the vet Saturday afternoon, they were worried about complications. The vet had warned me that if his spinal cord degraded, there would be no choice but to put him down. We are currently facing that. We will know in the next couple of days.

I can't tell you how upset I am about the possibility of never bringing him home. Please pray for Vinnie. As a result of the emergency room visit, the MRI, the surgery and post-operative care, we are facing over 12,000 in vet bills.

I normally never ask for help. But I don't know what to do. I took the phone calls from the vet Friday morning while at the hospital with my husband, who is struggling with heart failure and was having his second heart procedure in 3 weeks. If you can help even a little, please do. If you can't help, will you like & repost? Thank you.

Here are some more pictures of Vinnie, including a drawing we got from "Poorly drawn pets" which is a charity for the Animal Rescue League: