Procrastination

I had a very sad case come in to work late this morning. It was a walk in, new client. He had a dachshund that was down in the rear- unable to walk or use it's rear legs. The owner went to work yesterday and the dog was fine, he returned home in the evening and the dog was unable to stand or use it's rear legs. She was dragging herself around by the front legs. Then, she stopped doing that. He did not call anyone or take her in anywhere. Late this morning (11:30), he decided to come see us.

As I started my exam, I asked the owner if he had had other dachshunds and was familiar with their high risk for back disease. He said, yes, he was familiar with it and had several dachshunds in the past. The dog was a 4.5 year old female and very cute and sweet. Unfortunately, procrastination was not in her favor. She had no movement to her rear legs at all, and she was unable to feel superficial or deep pain. Meaning, when I mashed hard on her toes with hemostats- she did not react at all. BAD sign. When there is no deep pain present, it means that there is an extremely large amount of pressure on the spinal cord and there is a high likelihood of permanent damage. It requires immediate surgery to give the dog the best chance of walking again. Luckily, she was not in a lot of pain, her nerves were beyond that point.

I spoke to the owner about her condition and the prognosis- very poor- even with surgery. I spoke to a veterinary surgeon and she concurred that the prognosis is poor even with surgery and the recovery would be long - at least 2 months of intensive nursing care with no guarantee that the dog would walk again. The owner said that the finances were not the issue, he was worried about the quality of life for his dog and I am sure he was concerned about the aftercare too.

He was very sad, crying towards the end. He ended up taking the dog home to talk with his fiancee and make their final decision, but most likely they are going to euthanize the dog at the emergency clinic this afternoon.

Throughout the exam and explanation, I kept thinking- Why didn't he take the dog to the emergency clinic last night? or at least call them? Why, Why, why??? This poor sweet dog would have had a much better chance of walking again and a life if she had been examined and possibly had surgery last night. How can you not take a pet in when it is dragging its rear legs around?