My name is MayLing and I live next door with my human Mommy and Daddy. They are both cripple and older. That is why I practicly live at my sister Lola's house. My human Nanny's come and get me every morning so that I can do my buisness in a safe fenced in yard. When they go to town they bring me and Lola spend the day with my human Mommy, which is Lola's human Grandma. She didn't call me by a name that was in a song, but they always call me Lola's little sister so that became my nickname. They happen to have a song named just that ( I was so lucky ). I wanted my very own page too! They are so nice (happy,happy,happy) they made one just for me. They also feed me, bathed me,give me my medicine,comb me, Oh well you get the picture- they do everything for me. I am the boss of my house but when I go there I have to pass under Suzie and that is hard to do. She lets me get away with a lot of things since I am so cute and small. She thinks of me as her baby. She thinks of everyone as her baby except for the big Wooly Bully Kemo. He won't ever do anything to me because he is in love with me. His weight is 20 pounds and I'm only 8 pounds. We look like Mutt and Jeff together. I have more important things to talk about now. On August 5, 2004 I ran down the steps in order to go bark at the big dog in the back yard, something happened to me. I had a lot of pain in my back. My human Nanny seen something was wrong with me right away. She brought me to the vet. They said that it could have been my back or a bad stomache virus. We went home, I felt better all ready. I had to go outside and nobody said that I could not, so out I flew with the others. Coming in I was walking drunk so they sat up with me all night. As soon as the vet opened in the morning off we went again. This time they told them that I had ruptured a disk in my back but that I still had feelings in my back legs but the only way to save my legs was to go to a hospital 83 miles away. Away we went, she held me up in her arms like the vet told her to. We finally arrived and they took me away. When he came back he was sooo serious and he told my human Nanny's that nothing could be done. They started crying and I thought for a moment that I was a gonner, but then he realized how he had stated it and corrected himself. He said that he meant that nothing could be done except for surgey. He told them that I had a 85 to 90% chance of being completely healed. My human Nanny's told him "Well what are you waiting for , take her to surgey" They didn't care about the cost so long as I got well, and off I went again. I woke up all alone but was told that they waited until after the surgey before they went home. The next day I could move my toes but I was still alone. Sunday I was depressed and still refused to eat or go to the pad. In the afternoon he took me out and I saw all of them waiting for me. They hadn't fogotten about me after all. I started shaking with joy. They kissed me and reassured me that I would get better. They gave me some cold water. I drank and drank, it was sooo good. We visited for over 2 hours, but then they said they had to go but they would come back for me when I started to eat and go to the pad. Well you better beleive that I started that same night and Tuesday they were back for me. I have to be kept still for 3 more weeks. I'm ready to bark and run again but I know that I can't (yet). My human Nanny found an article about this dreadful disease. If you would like to read about it go for it!

Intervertebral Disc Disease

Adapted from the book Right from the Start

by Race Foster, DVM and Marty Smith, DVM

Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

The dog’s spine is made up of numerous small bones called vertebrae. These extend from the base of the skull all the way to the end of the tail. The vertebrae are interconnected by flexible discs made of cartilage - the intervertebral disc. These discs provide cushioning between each bone and permit the neck, spine and tail to bend, allowing changes in position and posture. Above the discs and running through the bony vertebrae is the spinal cord, which is made up of a mass of nerve fibers that run back and forth between the brain and the rest of the body.

What is intervertebral disc disease?

As a disc becomes weaker with age or trauma, it may rupture, or herniate, causing a portion of the disc to protrude upward and place pressure on the spinal cord. This pressure typically prevents or inhibits nerve transmission along the spinal cord. The effect on the spinal cord will depend on the amount and severity of the pressure. Effects can include pain, weakness and paralysis. The location of the "ruptured disc" will also affect the cord. A disc herniation in the neck area may affect the entire body, while one in the middle of the dog’s back may only affect the actions of the rear legs and abdominal organs.

Dog with very long backs, such as dachshunds and Basset hounds, understandably have a greater incidence of disc disease in the middle of the back. In fact, This is the area most often affected in all dogs, regardless of the length of the dog’s back. It seems that this area formed at the union of the chest and abdomen, suffers from the greatest amount of torsional stress and is more prone to injury. It`s a very common disease in chondrodystrophic breeds, mainly Dachshunds followed by Pekingese: the cause is that in this kind of dog the discs calcifie very early - around two years old those dogs have the same level of calcification as a 12 year old not chondrodystrophic breed.

In most cases we never find exactly when or what caused the disc to rupture. Surprisingly, this injury is rarely associated with severe trauma such as being hit by a car or falling from heights. In the smaller breeds, many believe it occurs when these dogs jump down off furniture.

When a disc first ruptures, it causes intense pain. When this occurs in the middle of the back the dog will arch its back up in pain. When the herniation takes place in the neck, the dog is unwilling to turn its head, and may not even want to lower it to eat and drink. Some dogs will shiver from the pain and walk very carefully and slowly. In severe herniations the back legs will be partially or completely paralyzed. This may be temporary or permanent. The nerves affecting the bladder and colon may also be affected making it difficult for the dog to urinate or defecate on it’s own. This can obviously be a very serious condition and it is imperative that you seek veterinary care immediately.

Treatment almost always includes the use of anti-inflammatory medications such as cortisone (a steroid). These products help shrink the herniated disc and swollen tissue, and at the same time relieve any inflammation that may have occurred within the spinal cord. Painkillers such as buffered aspirin, Rimadyl or Etogesic may also be used in addition to the cortisone. Today more than 90% of all ruptured disc cases in this area of the back are handled with medical therapy alone.

Surgery to either remove the protruding disc material or cut away a portion of the bone that surrounds the spinal cord is sometimes necessary. To be effective, however, surgery must usually be done within the first day or so following the injury. Whether medical, surgical or a combination of the two treatments is used, it may be several weeks before the actual outcome of the case can be determined.

Long term prevention

It may take months before affected dogs heal completely. Restricting jumping activities is very important in preventing reoccurrence. Using a glucosamine and chondroitin product supplement is also highly recommended to help speed recovery and strengthen the damaged cartilage.