DUKE: THANK YOU, FRIENDS!

Dear Doxie Friends,

I want to thank all of you who told my Mama you were praying for me and gave her encouraging comments. It helped her feel better. I was in UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Athens, GA for several days, but I got to come home yesterday!

In my kennel at UGA after surgery

I had surgery on my back last Friday because I had lost the use of my back legs, and that was scary. When Mama and Daddy left me at that hospital Thursday evening, I was hurting, and I didn't know what was going on, but the vets and the staff were so kind to me, I knew they were trying to make me better. I missed my parents, but I knew they loved me so much that they weren't leaving me there forever.

On Friday, the doctors did an MRI (I can't tell you about that, because they put me to sleep), and the next thing I knew, I was being wheeled in to a big room and put on a table. When I woke up, I was kinda numb, but my back and legs felt different. They had operated on my back, removing the part of the disc pushing on my spine. I have over 20 staples in my back, and I don't like them very much.

I was outside the day after surgery

Mama and Daddy brought me home yesterday, and since I have to rest for my back to heal, put me in a BABY PLAYPEN. Do you know how demeaning it is for a proud dachshund to have to stay in one of those?? Well, at least I can see out of the mesh sides, but when Mama and Daddy are eating, I can't go over there and "help" them. Just you wait until I get outa here . . .

My human sister and family gave me some presents: a soft blanket and some high class dog food. Daddy offered me some of the dog food last night, but I guess I wasn't that hungry yet, so I wouldn't eat it. He thought it was funny that I tried to cover it up with my blanket! I thought it was vile stuff THEN. This morning he offered me some again, with some cheese, and I thought it was yummy--I even asked for seconds.

Sitting on Mama's lap at home

I'm supposed to stay in this playpen for a solid month, except when I'm carried outside to do my business. That's gonna be pretty hard on me, because I like to go where I want and do what I want, but what other choice do I have? I can't get out of here by myself, and judging from Mama and Daddy's anxious faces when I move around, I guess I'd better stay put so I can get well and have a full recovery like my vet said I would.

Some other friends gave me a nice chew toy and some dog treats, and I love both. You know how we doxies love to chew, but especially love to eat!  I haven't eaten that much since I hurt my back, and my vet at UGA got kinda exasperated because I was so picky. Well, I didn't feel good! He finally smeared some peanut butter on some chicken and i ate it. I wasn't being picky--nothing smelled that good to me while I was on that medication. Oh, I'm still on four different kinds of meds now, and Daddy thinks he's fooling me by crushing the pills up and mixing them with peanut butter. HA! You can't fool a doxie's nose that easily! But I play along because he's trying so hard to help me. Besides, the peanut butter tastes so good that I'll put up with a little medicine to eat it.

THANK YOU for your prayers, kind words, and thoughts as I recover. I'll be as good as new then, my vet says. All I have to do is stop jumping up on and down from furniture. I'll try. I really will.

Pawfully thankful,

Duke