On the morning of January 2nd, we noticed Vivi trembling and walking with her tail between her legs. Being that it was shortly after New Year's, we suspected it was a trauma response to the fireworks, so we did our best to keep her comfortable and calm. As the evening progressed, she started showing signs of discomfort and pain in her lumbar region. That’s when we took her to the emergency vet. At this point, the vets and I began suspecting neurological issues, and unfortunately, that’s where we are.

Vivi is part dachshund, which unfortunately makes her prone to intervertebral disc disease, where the intervertebral discs can become mineralized and protrude into the spinal column, and cause compression of the spinal cord.

Before we took her to the vet the first time, she had mobility in her hind legs; however, when we got home, we noticed her dragging them. She can't seem to get comfortable either, I know first hand how excruciating disc pain is—I hate seeing this little baby go through this.

Today, January 3rd, we are back at the vet because her symptoms have progressed. We are ready to pursue decompressive surgery, as this is the next step in helping her get better. We're not sure what the future holds for her mobility, but the sooner we get intervention, the better the odds of success. She is able to move her left hind leg a little, and still has feeling in both. Right now, we're just focused on eliminating her pain.

We’ve only had Vivi for a month, but she already means the world to us. She is incredibly sweet, affectionate, and funny. Despite her being abandoned by previous owners, in this short period of time, she has already bonded with our other animals, and it has become very obvious she feels happy and safe with us, her final family. We will do anything to give her a happy and comfortable life. Without this surgery, she will have no quality of life. This is why we are asking for help. Anything you can give will help us so much with the cost of getting her care.