Schatzi is in the Bag!!

It was such a lovely, mild evening (after that little blast of winter last week!) we rounded up the posse & headed out for a short walk around the neighbourhood. Schatzi was quite happy to be out in the fresh air & enjoyed her ride in the Outward Hound bag (which Auntie Margaret lovingly mailed to us when Xena underwent back surgery two years ago).


Schatzi even felt up to having a little tussle with her squeaky!



And not to be left out - or feel neglected - a handsome pie-boy!!

Xena Goes to the Groomer

It was time for Xena's 6 week appointment for a clipping and pedicure! Here she is - wrapped up & ready to go!



Limosine service!



A quick 15 minute trip and we arrive!



Diana is there to welcome us!



Just a little off the top, please!



My new found cocker spaniel friend, Jake!



All finished & looking so pretty!

The Dachshund Dictionary

This was so cute, I just had to share!



The Dachshund Dictionary

LEASH: A strap which attaches to your harness, enabling you to lead your person where you want him/her to go.

DOG BED: Any soft, clean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.

DROOL: What to do when your persons have food and you don't. To do this properly you must sit as close as you can and look sad and let the drool fall to the floor.

SNIFF: A social custom to use when you greet other dogs until your person makes you stop.

GARBAGE CAN: A container which your neighbors put out once a week to test your ingenuity. You must stand on your hind legs and try to push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right you are rewarded with margarine wrappers to shred, beef bones to consume and moldy crusts of bread.

BICYCLES: Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards; the person then swerves and falls into the bushes, and you complete the exercise by prancing away.

DEAFNESS: A malady which affects a dachshund when it's person wants it in and the dachshund wants to stay out. Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, running in the opposite direction, or lying down.

THUNDER: A signal that the world is coming to an end. Humans remain amazingly calm during thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling uncontrollably, panting, peeing on the rug, rolling your eyes wildly and following at their heels.

WASTEBASKET: A dog toy filled with paper, envelopes, and old candy wrappers. When you get bored, turn over the basket and strew the papers all over the house for your person to play with by putting back in the wastebasket when they come home.

SOFAS: Are to dogs like napkins are to people. After eating it is polite to run up and down the front of the sofa and wipe your whiskers clean.

BATH: A process by which the humans drench the floor, walls and themselves. You can help by shaking vigorously and frequently.

LEAN: Every good dog's response to the command "sit!" — especially if your person is dressed for an evening out. Incredibly effective before black-tie events.

BUMP: The best way to get your human's attention when they are drinking a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

GOOSE BUMP: A last-resort maneuver used when the Regular Bump doesn't get the attention you require. Especially effective when combined with The Sniff (see above).

LOVE: A feeling of intense affection, given freely and without restriction. To show your love, wag your tail and gaze adoringly. If you're lucky, a human will love you in return.

Wienerfest 2009

Check out www.wienerfest.com

Wienerfest is run by an amazing lady, Linda Collier, who resides in Ontario. Linda not only organizes Wienerfest, but also works extremely hard in rescue. (and yours truly is honoured to be attending Wienerfest & working with her!) What an honour!

Linda & her hubby, just happen to be owned by some awesome wieners, as well!

This is Jemmie - her newest addition!



Introducing Gizmo - stirring the pot!



Ahoy, mateys!!



And having a bubble tub - Gizmo & Spirit!

I Discovered Something Today!

Normally Schatzi & Xena share a bed in the kitchen, during the day (even though there are two beds - they sleep together in one). Since Schatzi is on extended crate rest - there is only need for one bed.

I discovered today - that Xena, rather than be across from Schatzi - in her bed - she lays on the floor next to Schatzi's crate! How sweet is that? So, I moved her bed over beside the crate, so she will be more comfortable.

Snow Day!

First major snowfall of the season! We even had thunder & lightening during the night!

Cute Bone Tree Ornaments

One of the local high school band class sponsors a huge Christmas Craft Fair every November. I bought these cute personalized bone ornaments!

Xena's Dental Surgery

Xena is a very sad little wire girl tonight, she underwent dental surgery this morning. While she did not lose all her remaining teeth (thankfully) she did have 6 extractions. The extractions were mostly due to a condition called absorption (more common in cats apparently), but occassionally an issue with canines.

She had a soft supper and is resting as comfortably as can be expected. Pain medication was administered during her surgery, which should eliminate some discomfort.

Xena - Dental Surgery

Xena was dropped off this morning at our veterinarian's to undergo dental surgery. She was one ticked off little wire-hair - no breakfast allowed this morning! Humph!! She wasn't liking that!

AVC Visit & Re-Check

Schatzi's first outing since her surgery - a car ride to the AVC this morning to remove her sutures & undergo a neurological exam. She was attended to by Dr. Runyan & Dr. Husts, both of whom were extremely pleased with her progress! She was an angel during the exam - and although she requires much longer crate rest, we can begin doing some at-home exercises within the next two weeks in an attempt to rebuild strength & stability in her hind end. A further re-check is required in early January.

Gorgeous Night For A Walk!

Bundled up Xena & Oskar and hit the neighbourhood for a great walk! Beautiful night - lots of stars in the sky! And Oskar snoozing by the fire.

What Do You Suppose?

Xena is looking for? Crumbs? Treats? Hmmmm..... I was prepping supper & turned around to see this little furbutt!!

I'm Still a Princess!!

Jailhouse Rock!!

Everybody on the whole cell block, was dancing to the jailhouse rock! Can't say she's loving the prison haircut!!

Schatzi is Resting & Healing

And loving every moment of being a Diva! We are so proud of how well she is recuperating and gaining strength. She is able to take a few steps out on bathroom breaks!

On Wednesday she returns to the Atlantic Veterinary College have the sutures removed & undergo a neurological exam. Xena is undergoing a dental on Thursday- it's going to be another busy week.

Thankfully, both Oskar & Xena have fully recovered from their bout of "canine flu" and very glad to have their packmate home!

Painted Portrait

A few months ago, I commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of the wienerkins. (the actual portrait is 8"x10"). I requested some colour changes, to suit my room decor, but she captured them perfectly (right down to Schatzi's little ear turned back!).




From this photograph

Recuperation is Going Well

Schatzi has been recuperting very well at home. For the next 8 weeks, she will be restricted to her crate - we chose to use a larger wire crate, where her soft wooly pads and blankies can comfort her & her water dish can be clipped to the inside.

She is eating and able to take a few wobbly steps on bathroom breaks. Time is going to take care of the rest & we are fully confident she will walk strong again.

Oskar is still under the weather, unable to keep his supper down last night & un-interested in his b'fast this morning. Will offer him hamburg & rice again today, if he accepts & tolerates it; then hopefully he will be over worst of this bout. Xena has recovered fully-back to her normal self!

No Place Like Home!

We arrived home with Schatzi and as you can see, she has quite an incision! Her procedure not only was performed to remove extruded disc material, but the disc space was also fenestrated. She had a bite of supper and a couple pees & is comfortably being snuggled.

Oskar and Xena have been suffering with diareah and vomiting, so it has been a busy 24 hours. Thankfully, the worst seems to be over.

A sincere thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, telephone calls, emails and a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful posts to our blog!

Schatzi is Coming Home

Schatzi is being discharged this afternoon, we will be happy to have her home! Now the long road to recovery begins. We were unaware, until yesterday, that she had lost use of her right hind leg as well as her left, before going into surgery on Friday. They reported yesterday that she is able to stand, albeit very brief.

Looking forward to having our little Diva home.

Sunday Update

Schatzi was still vomiting from the morphine, she tolerates Metacam well, so they are going to switch. She ate some soft food this morning & kept it down.
What I didn't know was that she lost use of her right hind leg as well, before going into surgery. She still is knuckling on both back legs, but they hope once her catheter is out she will be more comfortable and attempt to stand again.
She is voiding and her bowels work, but the road back is going to be long.

If all goes well, she may be discharged late tomorrow. We are so ready to have her home!

New Indoor Ramps

Our carpentry project of the day! Two indoor ramps. Now, the training begins to get the kritterkins to use them!

Don't let this pic fool you - Xena has no intention of going up the ramp! lol! Since she has never been able to get on furniture, without being lifted up, she is very unsure how to go about using the ramp.

I don't know if she will be able to use the ramps-her back end isn't really strong enough to pull her up. I hope Schatzi will gain strength and be able to use them.
I think we did an awesome job - if I must say so myself!

Schatzi & Her New Crate

Schatzi had a bit of a rough night, for some reason her temp dropped. They wrapped her in heated blankets and she is resting on a heated pad, as well. Thankfully her temp has stabilized. They suspect the pain medication is making her vomit, so they have given her something to calm her tummy & will cut back on the doseage from every four hours to every six. Hopefully, she will be stable enough to move from the ICU to the ward tomorrow.

On a bright note she stood today!!! (inject happy dance!!) She is peeing on her own!! (sung to the tune of "Flying on my Own!".) Both very positive signs.

Friends dropped by this morning & brought this amazing canvass crate! Schatzi's new recuperative digs!! Much more welcoming that a wire crate! She is going to be so comfy while she gets better!

Surgery Went Well

Schatzi is resting comfortably in ICU. Her surgery went very well, once they removed a large amount of debris, her spinal column settled right back into place.

It will be a few days of recuperation and further testing before she is discharged, so we don't expect her home much before late Monday.

Brief Update-Schatzi

Schatzi is currently undegoing surgery; the myelogram is completed. The surgeon reported the rupture was huge & tramatic between the L12-L13 discs & it will likely be mid afternoon before we have another update. Her urineanalysis is good, no bacteria present.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has posted, e-mailed, and telephoned, your continued thoughts, prayers and good wishes are greatly appreciated.

Schatzi Is Down

Schatzi's condition continued to deteriorate over the past 24 hours, so we made an emergency trip to our vet this morning, where it was quickly determined that she has gone down. She is unable to stand and has lost use of her left hind leg. The right one, at this point, is unaffected.

We just returned from the Atlantic Veterinary College, Schatzi is undergoing x-rays & further testing this evening, thankfully sedated and a bit more comfortable.. Barring any further deterioration, she will undergo the myelogram and surgery in the morning. Should things take a turn for the worse before then, she will be taken immediately into surgery. I have great faith in her surgeon, as he performed Xena's successful surgery, almost two years ago, to the month.

The attending veterinarian feels because we recognized the problem and sought immediate medical attention, Schatzi's prognosis for a full recovery is positive. Schatzi had use of her bowels and bladder functions early this morning, however had not peed since 9:00 a.m. I'm hoping she has since then been able to do so. Schatzi's attending vet student, will be calling this evening (as they do every evening) to update, etc.

We discussed aftercare at great length, 8-9 weeks full crate rest, physio therapy and massage therapy.

Today was very busy at the vet hospital - quite a few emergencies came in. One lady and her golden retriever chartered a plane & flew in from Mahone Bay, NS!! Now, that is true loyalty to your pet.

So, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Singer- Fergie Has A Dachshund

Who knew?

What a Face!!!

This is what I wake up to every morning!!



Now, who could not wake up happy to see that adorable little face?

Dachshund Find!

I stumbled upon this awesome ceramic dachshund statue while out browsing the stores the other day! It measure about 6" high by 9" long.

I just had to have it!