On a roll!
Sarah’s pooch is wheely loved
Inoticed at once something was up with my mini, longhaired dachshund Poppy.
It was October last year, and Poppy was about to turn 6. Mid-life for a dog, but even so...
‘Fetch, girl!’ I said, throwing her favourite ball. But she just shuffled a few steps before slumping to the ground.
It’d also had happened 11 months earlier, and the vet said she was probably tired.
I put her on bed rest with her favourite heated pillow but, five days on, nothing changed.
When I let her out, she’d squeal and drag her back legs. Now the vet suspected intervertebral disc disease, IVDD, where spinal discs slip, trapping nerves – and paralysing a dog’s back legs.
By then, poor Poppy couldn’t move her hind legs, lost control of her bladder.
‘Dogs with IVDD only recover if operated on within 48 hours,’ the vet said sadly.
We were told we could say goodbye… Impossible! I was determined to help Poppy. Back home, for the first few weeks, we expressed her bladder by gently pressing her tum in the right place. Then we started putting her in nappies, changing them six times a day. ‘They look like granny pants, but you make them cool!’ I smiled. Though laser therapy to stimulate spinal repair failed, hydrotherapy for Poppy’s mobility eased her pain. She even had doggy armbands – so cute!
Then I remembered I’d seen a few dogs in wheelchairs online, so researched them.
And, in January this year, I splashed out £300 on a brightpink set of wheels, speciallymade for Poppy.
She took to them straightaway!
And, as she found her paws with them, I had an idea...
I set up an Instagram account to document Poppy’s progress. And it certainly took off!
Now, Poppy’s 800 followers love to watch her swim or wheel around – especially when she wears one of the many jumpers my grandma Cynthia knits for her.
There’s no cure for Poppy’s condition, but she’s not in pain. Or having a ruff time…
She’s living a rock ’n’ roll life!
Check out Poppy’s Instagram page, @poppy_on_wheels
Poppy’s Instagram followers love her in Gran’s jumpers!