Charlie’s Blog

9/12/09

Charlie turned 13 years old just a few days ago on 9/9/09!

A few days ago I bought him some special cookie treats and a Pig’s Ear for his birthday. I realize a pig’s ear may seem disgusting but Charlie loves them. Charlie’s top front teeth are not in very good shape so I think his days of chewing on really hard things, like pizzle chews, might be over. I still have to attend to his eyes a few times daily per dry eye syndrome. This will be a lifelong issue. There is an expensive surgery for this condition which can almost or totally cure it but I don’t have the money. The surgery reroutes a salivary gland to the eyes so the eyes can again have naturally produced lubricant. The procedure is called Parotid Duct Transposition.

Charlie has a few other minor health isues but overall, he is in remarkably good health. He is still able to jump up on the couch to be with me. Ideally, I don’t like him to jump but I can handle a jump or two a day up on the couch. I still take him for short walks. He is slow mostly because of his curiosity, his desire to want to smell everything, etc. His age slows him down too though and he does tend to tire quickly.

He is potty trained for indoors and this goes as well as possible. He has a Wizdog which is the best thing I know of in this regard. He still however has occasional near or complete misses. As the years have gone by, I have grown so tired of cleaning up messes but I do have the best setup possible I think. He hits the mark most of the time.

He is asleep behind me as I write this. He is laying on his blanket. He is still adorable and such a joy! I love him so much!

I will do my best to see that Charlie has as many other Birthdays as possible. My dream is for him to someday be twenty or more years old!

Dachshund stamps from around the world

3/15/09

We had a real scare since last time a blog entry was posted. In 2/09, Charlie suffered a back injury. I had kept him from back problems for more than nine years. I can only speculate as to why he had the flare up; I think it had something to do with my four year old Son. The vet I took him to says it can “just happen.” So, maybe there was a reason for it or maybe it just happened. I don’t know for sure.

One evening Charlie surprised me cause he started to whimper a bit when I handled him. He adopted a stiff posture where the rear part of his back stuck up like a hump. This was about sixty percent of the way back his spine. I immediately knew I had a problem on my hands.

For a few days, I tried containing him to a smaller space. He continued to be stiff and in pain. He also was not eating well. He did however improve minimally after awhile. After about a day and half, I let him have more room but his original symptoms quickly returned. He could stand up on his own but could not walk well due to pain. He could pee and poop.

Regrettably, money played a role here. I’m unemployed and money is tight. Had things been better in this regard I would have taken him to a vet sooner. I had hoped my conservative approach would work but it did not.

Of course, I did end up taking him to the vet. She said it was a bulging disc which is what I figured. Ironically, while in the vet office, he seemed to liven up quite a bit and was walking around much better than he had here at home. Weird huh?

Well, I knew what was coming. She gave me the typical pain and steroid medication. I kept him contained for two weeks and gave him his medicine exactly as prescribed. He slowly came out of it and I’m very happy to say he is normal now. Charlie has recovered Thank God!

This episode took place the first half of February and otherwise he has been fine. He does continue to have keratocunjunctivitis sicca (dry eye syndrome) but I’m treating this twice daily and he is maintaining well.

He always wants to be on my lap when I’m on the computer and always sits with me on the couch. What a joy! If I lay on the couch he lays on top of me and soon goes to sleep. He has a blanket here by the computer and often naps upon it while I’m on the computer. Sometimes he will start to snore and it is surprisingly loud. It is very endearing though! I’m sure my fellow “doxie people” know what I mean! 

Well that is it for now. Please visit this site frequently. I hope you like the site and have fun here. Please feel free to contact me anytime you wish.

September 2001	December 2001	January 2002
September 2008		September 2008

Other blog entries:

September 2008

May 2008

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Pig Ears

Pizzle Chews (also known as bully sticks)