This is Simon...

This is Simon. Simon could use a few happy thoughts sent his way right now.

Simon has been part of my family nearly all of his five years. He was about two months old when he came to live with me. He is a super sweet dog and would do anything to make M or me happy. He loves to play fetch. He loves to snuggle. His favorite treats are carrots, cucumbers, green beans, peas, and most veggies in general. He's a strange little dog, but he's a great buddy.

Yesterday Simon stopped playing very suddenly. He never does that! He walked home with M and clearly wasn't himself. He was panting and shaking, sure signs that a dachshund is in pain. We called the vet and immediately put him in his crate to keep him from hurting himself any more. The vet called back last night and said it sounded like a bulging disc, and he recommended we treat him with a little aspirin. We gave him a round of aspirin last night before putting him to bed.

This morning Simon was clearly still having pain. We gave him another aspirin and waited to see how he'd do. He was walking very awkwardly and looked stiff. I called the vet's office as soon as they opened this morning and we took Simon in for a 2:30 appointment this afternoon. By the time we got to the vet's office, Simon's right back leg was causing him problems. The vet found a spot about half way down Simon's back that was very sensitive, clearly the problem area. Simon got a steroid shot in the office along with a take-home pharmacy including oral steroids and muscle relaxants.

Simon's favorite person in the whole world is M. He's currently snuggled up on the sofa with M resting. The vet thinks he's got a good shot at being back to normal with two weeks of meds and a few adjustments in his normal routine. We need to keep him from jumping up and down off of furniture and carry him down the deck stairs at least until he's healed, longer if we can manage it.

If you get a chance to send a few happy thoughts Simon's way, we'd all appreciate it. It's hard to see such a happy, loving dog in so much pain, but we caught this before it turned into a ruptured disc (much worse!) so we just need to stick it out for a few days until we get his pain under control and then it'll be a challenge trying to help him rest so he heals completely. With a little over five weeks until my due date, we'd like Simon to be back to his old tricks sooner rather than later so he can help us welcome Baby Graber home. I know they're going to be best buds!