Help out mini-daschund.....?

Question

My brother in-law has an 8 year old mini-daschund. He’s a great little dog and we love him dearly.

He has some sort of disc problem in his lower back. Every so often it flares up because he has a bad habit of trying to mount my other 2 dogs and also he spends a lot of time running up and down the stairs.

Yesterday I came home to find him in terrible pain and he was crying so loud it broke my heart. He could barley walk and he cried if you even tried to lightly pet him on the back. We got him in his bed and my brother in-law made him an appointment to see the vet this morning.

They are urging him to get a very expensive surgery to help the dog. But him and his fiancé are very tight on money. So tight that they asked to move into out little 2 bedroom condo with my husband and I. They want to do what they can for their dog, but they are not sure where to start.

I’ve heard of groups that raise money specifically for these types of situations.

Does anyone know of any daschund groups that can help with this?

Answer 1

This is a list of places that our rescue has referred people to and many have been able to get some help.  Try them all and even if they say they can't help you, ask if they know any other places to contact. There is a doxie one listed so you might try them first.

Good luck and I hope someone can help with this little guys surgery

American Animal Hospital Association http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/home/ "The heartbreak happens all too often, a pet owner is unable to afford treatment and their sick or injured companion animal pays the price. If the owner is elderly, disabled or on a fixed income, the cost of care may be too much of a stretch for their pocketbook. Perhaps they have been victimized by crime, property loss or a job layoff and are experiencing a temporary financial hardship ? making it too difficult to afford pet care. And some animals, brought to clinics by Good Samaritans, don't have an owner to pay for treatment. Whatever the situation, the fact remains the same: When sick or injured animals are unable to receive veterinary care, they suffer. Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship."

Angels 4 Animals www.Angels4Animals.org "Angels4Animals, a non-profit organization and a program of Inner Voice Community Services, has a mission to serve as the guardian angel of animals whose caretakers find themselves in difficult financial situations. At Angels4Animals we believe that animal owners should not have to say goodbye to the animals that they love. Our work is accomplished in conjunction with veterinary clinics across the country, eager to assist as many animals, and their owners, as possible. Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment to those pets and pet owners in need."

Care Credit www.carecredit.com A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care. "CareCredit, the leader in patient/client financing, has helped more than 3 million patients/clients get the treatment or procedures they needed and wanted. With a comprehensive range of plan options, for treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every budget."

Help-A-Pet http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html "Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor. For lonely seniors, physically/mentally challenged individuals and children of working parents, pets represent much more than a diversion."

IMOM http://www.imom.org "Mission Statement: Helping people help pets. To better the lives of sick, injured and abused companion animals. We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged."

The Pet Fund http://thepetfund.com/ "The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care. Often animals are put down or suffer needlessly because their owners cannot afford expensive surgery or emergency vet visits. Companion animal owners must often make the difficult decision to put an animal down or neglect urgent medical needs because of the costs involved. The purpose of the Pet Fund is to work towards a future where decisions about companion animal medical care need never be made on the basis of cost."

United Animal Nations http://www.uan.org/lifeline/index.html "The mission of LifeLine is to help homeless or recently rescued animals suffering from life-threatening conditions that require specific and immediate emergency veterinary care. We strive to serve Good Samaritans and rescue groups who take in sick or injured animals. In certain cases, LifeLine can also assist senior citizens and low-income families pay for immediate emergency veterinary care."

UK Assistance with Veterinary Bills http://www.petloversonline.co.uk/financi... "Most of us can cope with the financial commitment involved in the day to day care of our pets. However, how many of us come out in a cold sweat when our pet is ill or injured and we know we have to take it to the vet? Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford it but, some of us who love our animals dearly cannot. Unfortunately we do not have a PDSA or a RSPCA Centre within our area, but there are a few charities who may be able to help."

Other Groups Who are Breed or Injury Specific:

Corgi Aid http://www.corgiaid.org/

Dachshunds Needing IVDD surgery

http://members.rushmore.com/~dds/applyfo...

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HandicappedPets.com http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/... "From time to time, HandicappedPets.com recognizes a caretaker of handicapped pets that need some special attention, and a little extra help. There are those who are so selflessly dedicated to their animal familie

Answer 2

Really, and I know this sounds terrible, but the most humane thing to do is to give the dog up to someone who can afford the surgery.  I have never heard of any place that will raise the money for something like that.

Maybe they can put the surgery on a credit card?  Find a vet that will accept payments until its completely paid off?  Or, if there is a veterinary medical school in your area, see if they'll have a reduced rate for the dog if you agree to have students work on it, under the supervision of a licensed vet of course (my boss did this with her dog)  Postpone the wedding and use some of that money to help the dog out?

Good luck to you.  I hope all winds up well.  Take care.

Edit:  I wasn't trying to offend you.  I was only trying to help.  I'm sorry you took it that way.  And yes, I work with dogs, and have known MANY dog owners who have rescued a sick dog, and paid to get it back into health.  Me being one of them  I rescued a cairn terrier who was neglected by its former owner and was on death's doorstep -- we nursed her back to health and gave her six wonderful years before she passed.

Edit #2:  I'd suggest to them to look into dog insurance.  Its very cheap (around $10-30 a month depending on the dog) and the surgery would have been covered (with a copay of course.)  There are some insurance companies that don't look into a dogs prior health record, but you have to look for it.

Answer 3

because it is a lower back problem and Daschunds are so prone to that, i would suggest doing a web search for some daschund rescues and maybe calling to see if they have any suggestions. unfortunately, there is not too many organizations that help with such things and it may be best to try financing the surgery. You might also consider asking the vet if there is a less expensive alternative.

Best fo luck.....