OLD DOG... NEW TRICKS
Dachshund with paralysed legs relearns walkies
WHEN a debilitating disease left him unable even to stand, three vets said all they could do was put him to sleep.
But now miniature dachshund has battled back from the spinal condition and learned to walk again – at the age of nine.
Owner Elaine Brechin, of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, refused to give up on her beloved pet, Ernie, who she took in after his previous owners were unable to cope with his disability.
After 18 months of intense therapy to strengthen his limbs and stimulate the nerves, Ernie defied all expectations and put one paw in front of the other.
Mrs Brechin, 63, said: ‘Ernie’s a super dog. When he first came to me he was unable to stand, let alone walk. He was completely off his back legs.
‘We had three different vets tell us his quality of life would be no good and advised euthanasia. But I was not giving up on him.’
Mrs Brechin dedicated four years of her life and spent £5,000 getting Ernie mobile, charting his progress in photos and home videos.
Treatment involved regular physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, laser therapy and electromagnetic treatment to strengthen his muscles and improve nerve function and balance.
Ernie even had a custom-made wheelchair to support him until he was strong enough to take his first steps unaided.
The dog still has no feeling in his hind legs. Instead, Mrs Brechin explained he has trained his limbs to walk using a reflex in his spine rather than relying on signals from the brain.
She said: ‘His brain has bypassed the spinal cord but he’s developed an automatic gait.
‘He’s like a drunken sailor - if he puts one foot forward, the other will follow.
‘He taught himself to do that and we helped him develop that over about two years. He can still only walk short distances but he leads a happy life and enjoys going out for walks and sniffing the grass, and running around on the beach.’
Ernie has intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), a condition common in dachshunds due to their unusually long backs. It usually occurs between four and eight years of age and causes discs to press on nerves in the spinal cord.
Mrs Brechin, who helps run the charity Dedicated to Dachshunds with IVDD, said: ‘You’ve got to consider the dog’s quality of life.
‘But we would never advocate putting a healthy dog down because it is disabled.
‘You need to give them every opportunity to recover.’