I came in my house and found my 15 yr old dachshund unable to stand. She is a very healthy dog......good heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, eyes and hearing. The veterinary dr at the animal emergency clinic diagnosed her with ivdd..........a back situation that many doxies are subject to. She said it would never get better and that surgery was the only answer and I would have to go to Ann Arbor, Mi or Purdue Small Animal Clinic....all of which would cost many thousands of dollars. I suggested that acupuncture or laser treatments might help. She said no it was too late in the game and could never be repaired and that euthanizing is usually the only option. I was shocked and disappointed to hear her say that. I have had doxies my whole life and I know all about ivdd.....and I know that both of my suggestions would work. I told her NO on the euthanizing and that I would take her to my vet on Monday morning. I did just that and I had to leave my dog at the vets office because they were booked full that day. When my vet did call me she had nothing but good news for me. My 15 yr old dog who had been given a death sentence by the emergency clinic was up and walking and doing just fine. My vet took her off all of the pain meds and did a laser treatment and she is still doing just fine. What if I hadn't known about ivdd in dogs???? They would have just euthanized her right then and there. I know she is 15 yrs old but she is in good health and I will take every minute I can with her. The vet at this facility was professional and the staff was nice but the vet needs to learn more about ivdd and the options that are available..........dodgerslist.org is an excellent resource for information. Acupuncture, laser treatments, wheelchairs for dogs, braces for dogs are ALL options besides euthanizing. I think this facility is always too quick to put an animal down as I have heard from many people who have had to go there. Everyone just make sure you have been given all options. They also need to stop charging so much just because they are open at night and weekends..........and they need to have some sort of program for people who don't have money or who have no other way to pay except payments. Poor people love their animals too.
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