Dodgerslist

Story of the Month - September 2006

"Duckie"

September 2006

(July 8, 2010 update added below)

The reason his name is Duckie is he came into rescue on Easter Day, when I picked him up his name was Salty however he did not respond to it and since it was Easter I wanted a name to remind me of his story.

Duckie was totally down when he came to me and had been for several weeks. He did not have surgery for his injury and was being treated by a true Homeopathic Vet using natural remedies. I had Duckie evaluated by my Vet and she determined he was not a surgical candidate. He was down and was bowel and bladder incontinent. We did 4 session of acupuncture on him to see if would help his bowel & bladder control. We really did not expect him to ever walk again unaided. Boy did it help and WOW were we wrong.

Today not only can Duckie stand on his own, now he is walking all the time. His right back leg is weaker than the left and we are doing weight shifting exercises to increase the strength. Duckie now walks 90% of the time. Once he gets tired he seems to drag a little, he is such a smart boy that he knows he is tired and will go to his crate and rest. His bladder control is almost perfect, he does not dribble. He can cut the stream off, so I believe eventually he will have full control. He does not have full bowel control yet, however you know when he needs to go because he will raise his tail up. Will he ever be perfect, I do not know. However, in his mind there is nothing wrong. He will go where he wants, in or out of his wheels. He loves to play and squeak his toys. He does wonderful around younger school age kids, his prior family had two boys and a cat. One of his favorite activities is swimming.

Duckie is up to date on his vetting and has been neutered. At this stage he is ready for the perfect home for him to re-become the doggy he was born to be. Can you tell, I really like this doxie? You bet I do. So why am I not keeping him? Because I am a rescuer and if I were to keep him then I can not help another doxie in need.

Duckie wants to say thanks to Dachshund Rescue of North America forgiving him a second chance in life. Also, Dr. Debbie Grissom, of The Caroline Animal Hospital, Milford, VA for taking good care of him.
.

Yolanda McIntyre

July 8, 2010
My husband reminded me of Dodgerslist today. I hadn't looked at it since we adopted Duckie from Dachshund Rescue in 2006.

Duckie is a wonderful dog and nothing slows him down. We have continued acupuncture treatments and friends who don't see him as often have remarked at how much better he is than when we first got him.

He has been a therapy dog for four years, going to elementary schools where young children read to him. He LOVES going to school, races down the hall in anticipation, says hello to everyone he meets, and soaks up the admiration and attention the children lavish on him!

His original family told the vet to put him down because of his paralysis. We are so fortunate the vet contacted DRNA instead. Duckie has brought many people--including us--much joy because he did.

Susanna Spencer & Bob Gausman
Madison, VA

Have a story you'd like to submit? Send an email to lindox5@yahoo.com.