Miss Mollie Goffreda Frieberg 6/14/2003 - 2/2/2009

Mollie lost the battle. The pinched nerves continued up her spine to almost her neck. She began losing control of her front limbs. Justin and I had to make a very tough decision. While we have been pulling for her and have been being strong for her, there is only so much pain you can watch your friend go through. So Mollie made her way to Heaven a little after midnight.

While I feel horrible for losing one of my best friends, I am relieved that she is no longer suffering.

Rest in peace Mollie.You have touched more lives than you can think.

We love you little girl.

Mollie Is Down in the Back Again

Mollie went down again.

I noticed her limping when I took her out to go potty. She seemed slower. I figured it was because of some of the ice & snow left in my driveway. But when we got inside, that's when I knew that she had a relapse of her IVDD.

Less than an hour later, she lost all use of her legs....

I still have to go to work today, but as soon as it's 8:00, I am calling the vet to see if I can start the drug regimen that she was on last time.

She got through this last time. With strict crate rest and the drugs (this is called conservative treatment) she made a full recovery.

It doesn't make this any easier. I hate seeing her in pain. I hate seeing her shake and cry.

----

Update:

We just got back from the vet and the prognosis isn't very good for a full recovery. Basically, Mollie has lost deep tissue sensation. Once that point is reached, the probability for paralysis is extremely high. At this point, she cannot use her hind quarters. Since it is so early, all we can do is the drug regimen that she had last time and hope she will recover, or at least start to be comfortable. Once the inflammation goes down in her spine, if paralysis were to happen, it would be pain-free.

Because paralysis has a higher probability now, we will probably have to get her a little cart and some bum pads to prevent her hiney from chafing (she will have to walk by dragging her hind legs).

We have a lot of hope for Mollie to have a full and happy life, even after paralysis.

Frankie, My New Brother

My new brother, Frankie, arrived yesterday. Mommy and Daddy woke up very early and got me all harnesses up and took me with them to get Mr. Frankie at some rest stop. He was in crate, so I couldn't get to know him like I wanted to!! I was barking and whining the entire car ride home.

When we got home, we got to sniff each other. I was a little bit wary of him so I kept my distance. He isn't as hyper as I am, and that bugged me! How can you not want to jump about and carry on and be awesome??

Mommy and Daddy were nice, though. They kept telling me how much they loved me and that I was still their special little girl.

I think I like him. He's quiet and nice. He likes to give Mommy and Daddy kisses, and that kinda makes me jealous because I like to give them kisses.

But I think this will work out. Welcome to the family, big brother!

If you are interested in pictures, please see my blog here.

Happy Thanksgiving! New Brother! Yay!

So Mommy and Daddy are getting me a brother!!! Apparently, they have been working with DRNA: Dachshund Rescue of North America since the summer, trying to find the perfect little companion for me.

Behold Mister Frankie! He is a red longhair boy and I am super excited!! He has had a tough life. His previous owners left him outside ALL the time, so he has a fear of the outside. Well, I'll fix him! I'll show him how nice it is to stay inside and be lazy on a couch all day! /giggle

He will be transported from South Carolina on December 13, 2008. So we're hoping for a Christmas Arrival!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to Mister Frankie! I am thankful that you will be with a wonderful family!

Pet Food Rating

So not too long ago, Mommy and Daddy switched my food. I was eating Beneful until Mommy found information about how bad the ingredients in are for me!!! She did some research, and found a really great food for me: Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul - and I absolutely love it! It's so yummy! And it doesn't give me gas!

She did more research and found out a lot of horrible things about commercial dog/cat foods. Those TV commercials that we see - with the happy puppies and kitties frolicking around happily, enjoying their food - are a complete fasad. The top commercial brands (Purina, Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet, Alpo) all contain the worst ingredients and are really very bad "foods."

Anyway, I wanted to list a few websites that the Mommies and Daddies should check out. You want to be eating food that is GOOD for you. Not icky stuffs!

Pet Food Rating - Website that allows you to grade your current food. You add/subtract points based on criteria. A must-see. You will be shocked! My new dog food, Chicken Soup, has a grade of 117 (A+). My old dog food, Beneful, has a horrible grade of 32 (F).
Eridox's Nutrition Listing - A Dachshund Breeder listed a bunch of foods that she did research on and gives descriptions for ingredients.
Dog Food Anaylsis - Assesses all dog foods available. This is another great website. You can search for any food brand and get feedback and reviews on that brand.
Consumer Search - Cat Food Reviews - Reviews for various cat foods.

Yes, the higher quality foods are more expensive. But, the better quality the food is, the LESS the pet will consume, because they will be getting more nutrition. The lesser the quality the food is (the cheaper stuff), the more the pet will consume, thus recieving more fillers, less nutrition, and more frequent potty breaks. The pet winds up eating almost twice or three times as much as they should  just to get the nutrition they need.

The bottom line? Commercial pet foods are HORRIBLE. They contain filler ingredients, sub par "protein", and who knows what else?! The best foods to have are HUMAN GRADE foods. Why would you feed your beloved pet "food" that a human wouldn't touch?

Pupdates

Mommy forgot to post in my blog. So here are some blog updates from her blog.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

I need to stay upbeat for Mollie. This is going to be a very rough time for us. Her vet prescribed pain killers for her on Friday, to make her more comfortable. We have her on strict crate rest for at least 6-8 weeks. I joined a website called "Dodger's List." Let me tell you how much inspiration and hope this site has given me. The members are incredible. They have gone through what I am going through right now. I was given so much advice - even more than what a Vet can give. It's one thing to get sympathy from people who are genuinely sorry you are going through tough times; but it's another thing to get sympathy from people who have gone through the EXACT same thing you have gone through.

I have hope. I think Mollie will have a good life - no matter what happens. We just have to be strong for her.

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Saturday, August 30, 2008

Mollie is actually making some progress. She hasn't been shaking the past 3 days and she doesn't whine. When I take her out to pee/poo, she isn't as wobbly. I think she really might pull through. Granted, this is only after a week of crate rest. We still have about 6-7 more weeks to go, so a lot can happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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Thursday, September 4, 2008

Mollie is doing a little bit better. She had the "soft-serve ice cream" poop for the past few days and she is finally feeling a little bit better. She is walking a lot better, and is actually using her hind legs. We're not in the clear yet. She is only on her 2nd week of crate rest. 6-7 more weeks to go. I'm just hoping this conservative treatment is going to be effective. Gotta stay positive for my poochie-pie!

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

I have been in contact with the woman from http://www.weenieinthewindow.com. I had been interested in ordering a doggie harness for Mollie, but she wasn't accepting any more orders until she caught up on her current ones. Well, yesterday, she got back to me to tell me I could place my order - and I did just that.

If anyone has a teenie doggie (less than 25 pounds) then this harness is the one for them!

This is the kind of harness I ordered:
http://x85.xanga.com/9b8c74e532731210307800/z16394 9558.jpg
(Yes, that is a little ruffle at the bottom.)

And this is the fabric I chose:

http://photo.xanga.com/candiedchristine/9fc7f21030 7807/photo.html

I absolutely can't wait for it to arrive (it's gonna take almost a month!!! =( )

Mollie is going to be the cutest weenie on the block!

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Remember my September 9, 2008 entry entitled "Weenie in the Window"? Well, Mollie's harness arrived yesterday! It is absolutely adorable!!! It is seriously the cutest thing I have ever put on her! (I don't normally put clothes on her because they tend to annoy her front legs). She sometimes fights me when it's time to put on her harness, but not this time! She walked around the house all proudly, showing off her little girly ruffles.

I love how the harness fits her perfectly and there is no strain on her little back. Since she started having her back problems in August, I wanted to look for an alternative harness.

I am so happy I found the site. I will definitely be purchasing more harnesses in the future. (I can get one for every season/holiday!)

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

And, as a general update, Mollie is doing about 100% better. She took a turn for the better in the middle of October. She is able to walk much better, she doesn't need the sling to help her go potty, and she runs around like the crazy little weenie she is. I think it is because we stayed so positive for her. Gosh I love my little Miss Mollie!

Mollie, 5 years old, IVDD (Inter-Vertebral Disc Disease)

This is a post made to Dodger's List (http://www.dodgerslist.com) regarding Mollie's recent diagnoses with IVDD.


Hello,

My name is Christine, and my doxie is Mollie. She is a 5 year old
doxie that I (gasp!) bought at a Pet Store on an impulse because I
fell in love with her at first sight. The first 4 1/2 years have been
incredible. She has an insatiable zest for life, is hyper as anything,
loves to lick, and is friendly to humans and animals alike.

In January 2008, she was diagnosed with Epilepsy, after having her
second bout of seizures in less than a 6 month period. It came as a
slight shock, but I was prepared, being that I used to work for a vet
(no longer work for one now). We brought her to the Emergency Vet, and
she was treated immediately. She took to the Phenobarbital well, and
has had healthy levels since.

In March, 2008, I noticed she was in pain (shaking, crying, lethargic,
not eating) and brought her to the Vet (emergency visit). They did
CBC/Differential, Platelet Counts, Lyme and Ehrlichia tests. She had
elevated white count, and when the vet probed and prodded around her
neck, it was determined she had a neck injury. She was diagnosed with
an infection in her neck (Not IVDD at this point) because of the
elevated white cells, and I was instructed to keep her calm, quiet
(crate rest) and administer the medicine(Deramaxx and Cefpodoxime
Proxetil).

Now, Up until this point in her life, we have *tried* to keep her from
going up and down stairs. And we have done OK thus far, except you
have to know what kind of dog Mollie is. She HAS to be around you.
It's not that she has separation anxiety (what dog doesn't have just a
little bit of that when Mommy and Daddy leave?), but if you are in the
house, and not near her, she will do anything she can to be in your
face, up your butt, knowing what you are doing (this includes alone
time with the husband...*wink)

After the neck problem, we cut off stairs completely. The only other
issue was jumping up on the couch (and jumping down for that matter).
It's just hard to control her every move. Anyway, I have digressed.

Sunday, August 17, I noticed she was a little bit lethargic, and was
staying in her usual spot on the couch. I said to my husband that I
would call the vet the next morning when I got to work to schedule a
check up. "Maybe something happened to her neck again. She's not
crying or shaking." So on Monday, I made the appointment for later in
the evening (the only one they had available).

When I arrived home early on Monday, August 18, I went to pick her up
to take her outside. Then she fell over. More like her back legs gave
out. I panicked, called the vet and said I was bringing her over at
that moment. (this was about 12 pm)

The vet was able to determine she had a slipped disc. She found the
spot on her vertebrate (pressed on the spot, Mollie cried) and showed
me when she turned her feet - Mollie didn't correct her legs to be in
the right position. She was determined that since I brought her in at
that time, instead of waiting until later in the evening, that Mollie
would be OK. She prescribed a steroid (Prednisone 5mg), a muscle
relaxer (Methocarbamol 500 mg, cut in 1/4), and a stomach protector
(Sucralfate 1gr).

I started Mollie on the medicine, in hopes that she would improve. She
didn't show signs of improving on Tuesday, but she didn't show signs
of worsening either. I spent the past week at home with her, to
monitor and snuggle with her. I decided to call the vet today (August
22) to see what my next options are, because she seemed to be a little
bit worse today (shaking, whining, lethargic).

The vet called me back, and she recommended surgery as a very real
recommendation (to call my local SPCA to ask about financial aid). She
alsospoke about the doggie wheelchair, crate rest, pain medicine, etc.
We were on the phone for a very long time, going over our options. To
be honest - surgery makes me nervous and we really don't have that
kind of money! In the mean time, she prescribed a pain killer (I
didn't get the name of it - I have yet to pick it up). I would like to
consider alternative options other than surgery. My husband is a
realist - and he thinks that Mollie's quality of life will be poor, if
we allow her to become paralyzed, or if she requires a wheelchair and
bladder and bowels to be expressed manually by us. He says "I just
can't watch her go through that." I explained that her quality of life
would be fine, that if she were to become paralyzed, at least she
wouldn't be in any pain. I think we need to arrive at a healthy
"median" before we make any decisions. This is why I am posting this
lenghthly message. I need some real feedback, so my husband and I know
that there is indeed hope for our little Mollie.

This was a very long story, made even longer, and I apologize. I just
didn't even know there were "support groups" for doxies like my
Mollie. Putting it blunt, I can't watch her like this. I have been
crying every day because I am so scared for her, and I hate to see her
in any pain. I want her pain to go away.

If anyone can offer any advice, I would be greatly appreciative. I
have been up till all hours of the night reading oodles and oodles of
information about slipped discs, herniated discs, IVDD, etc. I have
read about wheelchairs, acupuncture, water therapy, physical therapy,
expensive surgeries, etc. I've looked at websites that offer financial
aid for surgeries (I don't even think we would qualify). I am willing
to do my homework, if given to me. I just need some "support."

Thanks for your time in reading this.

~Christine



Let me tell you how much inspiration and hope this site has given me. The members are incredible. They have gone through what I am going through right now. I was given so much advice - even more than what a Vet can give. It's one thing to get sympathy from people who are genuinely sorry you are going through tough times; but it's another thing to get sympathy from people who have gone through the EXACT same thing you have gone through.

I have hope. I think Mollie will have a good life - no matter what happens. We just have to be strong for her.

DOG RULES

1. Dogs are never permitted in the house. The dog stays outside in a specially built wooden compartment named, for very good reason, the dog house.
2. Okay, the dog can enter the house but only for short visits or if his own house is under renovation.
3. Okay, the dog can stay in the house on a permanent basis provided the dog house can be sold in a lawn sale to a rookie dog owner.
4. Inside the house, the dog is not allowed to run free and is confined to a comfortable but secure metal cage.
5. Okay, the cage becomes part of a two-for-one deal in the lawn sale, and the dog can go wherever the hell he pleases.
6. The dog is never allowed on the furniture.
7. Okay, the dog can get up on the old furniture but not the new furniture.
8. Okay, the dog can get up on the new furniture until it looks like the old furniture and the we’ll sell the whole damn works and buy new furniture on which the dog will most definitely not be allowed.
9. The dog never sleeps on the bed. Period.
10. Okay, the dog can sleep at the foot of the bed only.
11. Okay, the dog can sleep alongside you, but he’s not allowed under the covers.
12. Okay, the dog can sleep under the covers but not with his head on the pillow.
13. Okay, the dog can sleep alongside you, under the covers with his head on the pillow, abut if he snores, hes got to leave the room.
14. Okay, the dog can sleep and snore and have nightmares in your bed, but he’s not to come in and sleep on the couch in the TV room, where you’re now sleeping.
15. The dog never gets listed on the census questionnaire as a “primary resident” even if it’s true.

The Dachshund Philosophy

* If I like it, it's mine.
* If I think I might like it, it's mine.
* If it's in my mouth, it's mine.
* If it was ever in my mouth, it's mine.
* If I can take it from you, it's mine.
* If you take it from me, it's still mine.
* If I had it for a little while ago, it's mine.
* If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
* If I'm chewing something, all the pieces are mine.
* If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
* If I saw it first, it's mine.
* If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
* Everything I've ever laid eyes or teeth upon is mine...including you!