I have a 5 year old mini dachshund one day she was running and jumping the next I am rushing her to the emergency vet because she can't stand. Does back problems start all of the sudden or is this something that starts to show symptoms?

deborabauer34

I have a dachshund with back problems too. She is only 2 years old. Her trouble started when she was just a little over 1 year old - she was hit by a car. The vet told us then that dachshunds were extremely prone to back problems and now she would be at a double risk.. . He was right. Last November she was just fine one day then the next day she was moving slower and acting a little strange she would grunt when you touched her. By the next day she was dragging her hind legs. When we took her to the vet he told us she had a bulging disk and that she really needed surgery. I LOVE my baby but we do not have $2,000 to spend on surgery. He put her on Prednisone and pain killers and within three weeks she was back to normal. It has happen two more times since then. She is like this now - unfortunately she is not responding to the medications this time. I was looking at the doggie carts to see what is available when I ran across this web. But to answer your questions it can come on quickly. This episode now Tator, her name is Sweet Tator, was just fine one morning and we had to go out when we come home she was walking really slow and did not want us to lift her up. The next morning she was dragging her hind legs.

Here is a link to a site I use often. I have bookmarked the Dachshund page. Dachshund, Dachshunds, Wiener Dog, little hot dog, hotdog dog Please scroll down to the health problems section. The AKC also has a page with breed info that includes medical/health problems for each breed.

I am so sorry your little dog has developed this problem. Unfortunately, as you can see from the link, the spinal disc problem is the norm for dachshunds. As they grow older, their discs deteriorate, then one day, they either have problems walking or can't walk at all. There is no way of knowing exactly when this will occur. Vets do stress that doxies weight needs to be managed very carefully because extra weight only accelerates this problem.

This kind of thing only brings home the reality that when you choose a breed, it is very important to do your research and know what will be in store for you and your dog.

The only thing I need to add is my link to evaluating your dog's body condition, LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog