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Jack Lapre

    by Kelly Lapre

I currently live in Brookline, MA which is very close to Boston. December 2009 my 3 yr old mini Dachshund, Jack, was walking with a hunched back and he seemed to be in a little pain. I never thought he would have the back problems people always warned me about when I told them I had Dachshunds. I took him to the vet and they couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Well of course when we got there he seemed totally fine! The vet told me to video tape it if he started acting that way again. Well, the next day he was walking like he was drunk and I went back to the vet to discover he had IVDD. I was shocked!

The vet referred me to a neurologist and they said he needed surgery, but it was almost $7, 000 and I didn’t have that much money or I would have done the surgery. Well, I came home and I was just so anxious and scared that he wouldn’t make it. I just had it in my head that he would need to be put to sleep if the pain didn’t get better. I immediately went to my computer and started looking for help and I found Dodgerslist, which was the best thing that could have happened to Jack and me. The information I got from this support group helped Jack make a full recovery and we were very happy. Of course me being the nervous Nellie that I am I was always worried that it would happen again. So, I was very careful carrying him up and down the stairs and Dachshund proofing my house.

Jack was doing great running around and doing water therapy and I started to feel like he was just going to be fine. However, out of the blue in March he couldn’t walk and I could tell it was worse than the first time. I rushed him to the hospital in tears and I was convinced he wouldn’t make it this time as he was in so much pain and couldn’t put his head down or even lay down due to the pain. They put him on meds and told me his injury was in an area that was actually the worst area for this type of injury and that he had less than a 7% chance of ever walking again with or without surgery. I just wanted him to live and be happy again.

The next three weeks were rough, but he started to enjoy food again and then I heard him bark and was just ecstatic. I thought I would never be happy to hear him bark., but it was like music to my ears. I kept looking for signs that he would feel again or be able to pee on his own, but that didn’t happen. However, after 10 wks he is happier than ever and is really the same dog he always was. He is so full of life and just loves being out at the dog park and playing and of course eating whatever he can. The other day at the vet when we came out of the exam room and saw a big pitbull he didn’t hesitate to run right up barking his little head of and I thought yup he’s the same old Jack. He flies around in his wheels and goes so fast I get so excited when I see him running after other dogs and he doesn’t seem to even know or care about his legs. The vet told me that if he has another herniated disc he wouldn’t even feel it and that he will be fine the way he is to live a happy, healthy life. I thought about it and think I wouldn’t change him now if he had a chance to get his legs back. I mean I have dreams at night that he is running at the park and he looks so happy. However, I would rather he be just the way he is and so happy than to have another episode and be in pain again. I feel so blessed to have this special dog and everywhere we go everyone loves seeing him in his little cart. I think he is just perfect the way he is!