Precious Banjo was different to all other dachshunds and no other harnesses on the market worked for him at all. She had tried many. Banjo could not wear any conventional harnesses and couldn’t wear any that would wrap around his neck creating pressure on his oesophagus as he is always at high risk of regurgitation which can develop into an aspiration pneumonia and quite an unwell doggie. So, I got my thinking cap on and thought long and hard about how to create something fit for him and well of course something also suitable for all dachshunds whom also are at high risk of suffering genetic IVDD. A design that would avoid neck pressure as well as a design suited to their long bodies and short legs keeping their gentle anatomy in mind.
Most harnesses on the market aren’t designed for the unique body shape of a dachshund. It was no surprise my friend had difficulty finding one to suit Banjo. Ill-fitting harnesses on dachshunds can potentially over time cause elbow dysplasia with long term use and also be exacerbated if you have a dog that potentially likes to pull on the lead. This can affect their gait and over time cause disruption to important ligaments and tendons and potentially cause their legs to bow (commonly known as angular limb deformity) as well as increasing the risk of cervical IVDD if genetically pre-disposed.
The first part of the harness I had to think about first was how to tackle the neck / throat region. Nothing was allowed to wrap around Banjo’s neck. I needed to think about how to avoid the neck and something that sat lower down below the neck but at the top of the breast bone which happens to be the strongest point. It also needed to be safe and secure. This is when I thought an adjustable side release buckle was perfect as this could be lowered down avoiding the neck with the design. Also, a bonus for those doggies who love to pull so that gentle area around their necks is avoided when pulling. Of course, we do highly recommend you train your doggie to walk to heel to avoid any type of pulling and putting them at risk.
Then I created the long body 'Hug Me' part of the harness to ensure that the front legs of our harnesses were avoiding any front leg issues. The hug me part of our harnesses wraps comfortably around the mid torso region well away from their front legs causing any interference to potential front leg gait issues and under arm chaffing.
Once I had nutted out the design it was time to road test it. I sent sweet Banjo a mock up harness to try on ensuring he was happy with his design. Then I made a few harnesses up for some local friends whose dogs were different sizes and also asked them to road test it. A few adjustments were made along the way but I finally came up with a design to suit all long doggies in various sizes. It got the ‘High Five’ paw of approval from Banjo and my local friends doggies.
Then it was time to think about stylish, dare to be different designs for our very own harness design. A harness that your doggie would be proud of wearing and as one customer mentions drives her doggie’s inner ego. So, we choose to support local Australian artists supporting their very own creative work and the fabrics are printed right here in Australia. Being a small local handmade business, we know how important it is to support others.
Banjo has been wearing his harness for some time now and absolutely loves it. He hated all his other harnesses but now loves his 2Royalhounds harness which he wears with pride. Most of all I was so pleased I had created something for him that worked for his condition and something he now loves.
Our harnesses are designed for all dachshunds keeping their gentle anatomy in mind ensuring they are stylish, secure and functional. And of course we dont discriminate either our harnesses will also fit other breeds of doggies if the size fits!
]]>Where do I start with a dog like you?
It’s pretty raw right now and I am finding it so hard to come to terms with your sudden loss. But I know you would only want me to be happy as you were always the happiest doggie in the world. Always wagging your tail and just loving life. Every single thing you did, you did it with such excitement and happiness and now in your absence I am trying to find your happiness shine through.
Born and bred near the White Cliffs of Dover in England on St Patrick’s Day you came into our lives as the most adorable little pup to join our family with Lottie.
Right from the start you stole our hearts. Oh so endearing, and the cutest little fella we could have ever wished for. You slowly grew into one of the most intelligent doggies, always wanting to please us. You were funny, confident and friendly and, putting it simply, just loved life. You developed the most wonderful temperaments which we nurtured to get the absolute best out of your little life. You brought so much happiness to our lives and made us smile in every single thing you did and no matter what you did you made us so proud.
Living the wonderful London life you made so many doggie friends little and large. You had a presence and won many hearts over as you always welcomed everyone with your bark! A friendly bark to let everyone know you were there. You and Lottie soon became dubbed as ‘The Royals’ in London amongst all your doggie friends. Together you would strut your stuff and lead the way, making sure you were always out in front. A born leader and a doggie with the biggest heart.
From puppyhood I took you to doggie training as soon as I could. Each weekend without fail rain, hail, snow or shine we would go to our local alpha dog training classes. I wanted you to become a good canine citizen and, most importantly, if there was one thing you had to learn, it was recall. But as the weeks went by, they soon turned into years as you thrived in training and continually wanted to please. You progressed from puppy foundation classes, to bronze, silver and gold awards in doggie obedience training and before long you were even putting Border Collies to shame. I was so proud of you Duke in every single way although you did have one behavioural lapse when you peed in the side pocket of a random lady’s Gucci handbag before we quickly scarpered…….at least you chose class!
I have so many wonderful memories that we made together with all your doggie dachshund friends in London. We spent many hours walking on Hampstead Heath with all your doggie friends and of course our local Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace). You spent so much time with your best buddies Daks, Daisy, Sir Roger, Boris, Lulu and Wally and so many others. After our walks we would often end up together in one of the local London pubs for lunch or a Café and you always managed to convince me I needed to buy you a pig’s ear for lunch! Crunch Crunch!
Dachshund meet-ups with the London dachshund community and of course the Dachshund races with both you and Lottie racing together. Naturally you would always be the one to beat her for first place. You had to be Number One!
Your absolute love in life was food. It was your motivation and you would do anything for food. You would hear a fridge door open from another room and come scampering. You were my sidekick in the kitchen as I prepared all our dinners, always hopeful for an offcut of whatever I was cooking. I am positive you knew every single recipe I made as you watched me with such intent while I cooked. Food was your world and even on any doggie walks you were the first to sniff out any human who had treats on them and politely sit at their feet then bark to let them know you wanted a treat! Such an opportunist - and you had worked out the game and knew exactly how to get what you wanted.
The next part of your life saw you travelling across the world to live your life in Melbourne, Australia. 10 days in quarantine and it was no surprise you were the one who comfort ate by eating Lottie’s food as well as your own. You put on weight in quarantine while Lottie lost it. But you both braved it out and we were all reunited after your 10-day spell in quarantine. It was the most emotional reunion ever and once again we were family.
Life here in Australia became your forever home. You loved your daily walks with Lottie and many other dachshund friends. You made new friends and shared so many fun times together with them. You had your first chance to swim in the ocean or, as we called it, ‘Walking on water’ dachshund style. So many long walks in the local parks and I took you both to so many nice places. You and Lottie were my absolute priority and I wanted to give you the best lives possible.
I was fortunate enough as your fur Mama to spend so much time with both you and Lottie at home to ensure I missed nothing about your little lives. You and Lottie became the snoopervisors and feature models for your own branding 2Royalhounds in canine products for dachshunds. Given you were always the one who loved to show off and charm you were the one who always preferred to do the modelling over Lottie, politely bossing your way in front. 😊 Yes, you were rather bossy!
Flies – let’s talk about flies Duke. Well, they were your one and only dislike in your little life. Can’t blame you really as no one really loves pesky annoying flies. You would either bark at them to bugger off as if they would listen or hide from them as you had had enough off them. Neither worked, so of course it was us humans who had to help you deal with them.
2019 was a big year for you. A casting call for Legally Blonde Melbourne for a dachshund to audition for the live musical. At first, I didn’t think given you were an older dog 10 at the time that it would be worth auditioning for. But I put in a last-minute application as I thought ‘Why not’. Afterall, you were a well-trained boy. Nothing ventured nothing gained, and most of all it would be fun!
The call from the producer came two weeks after you auditioned and we were absolutely delighted that you were the chosen one. We were so proud of you in more ways than one. Proud mostly that everything you had learnt as a pup at training you had not forgotten and that you were about to become a doggie star. Not many doggies have that achievement on their resume.
You graced the musical stage as ‘Bruiser’ - Elle Woods’s dog in the live musical - like a true star. You did every single performance on the big stage with lights, orchestra, dancing heels, singers and audience. My heart was bursting with pride with each performance you did. And not only that, you did every performance without faltering and played your role to perfection. You were loved by the cast, the audience and everyone and really stole the show. As your fur Mama you absolutely did me proud. Deep down you truly had the most amazing temperament and were born for the stage. A real show off and performer and a true star.
But Duke, most of all you were my boy. You were the most amazing little doggie that filled our lives with so many happy memories and so many fun moments. You were the most perfect doggo we could have ever asked for to come into our lives. You were famous across the world by virtue of “the nipple meme” and had a presence everyone felt. You were a real Mama’s boy and you showed me love I just can’t even begin to measure. Purely unconditional.
Every step I took you were at my side no matter where I went. You had a bed in every room of our house and whenever I switched rooms you would also switch bed. I was your world as much as you were mine. Our bond was exceptionally strong and unable to be done justice by words. You felt so safe in my arms and we always loved cuddling up together. The true definition of a real Mama’s boy.
I miss your bark and you bossing me around. I miss your sprint down the hallway of our house and out of the doggie door at lightning speed to do your business and come straight back in and bark to remind me it was breakfast time. I miss you reminding me each afternooon when you came to bark at me to remind me your dinner was due. Funnily enough you once did eat your dinner at around 6pm but over the years you managed to wangle your dinner to earlier each day. 6pm became 5pm, 5pm then became 4pm and we ended up agreeing at 3pm. You have even tried 2pm but thats when I finally put my foot down. :) I miss your sprint and bounce into your bed at night excited about your bed biscuit. I miss that morning ‘lump’ in the bed and you sitting on my head in the morning when you came up into our bed for morning cuddles. I miss every little thing about you and all your delightful quirks.
You trusted me and I trusted you. You listened and you followed. You were the best companion to our dear Lottie who also now misses you terribly. You looked after your older sister and barked to protect her. You were her shining light.
You left us unexpectedly on my Birthday, and whilst it was the worst birthday present ever you made sure you left us on a day we would never forget. Strangely now, it feels special and fitting you chose this day. Which will now become my ‘Dukeday’.
You only knew love and trust and we were exceptionally blessed that you chose us to love. We can’t believe you have departed our daily lives and we miss you terribly and it’s so hard to fight back those tears. But we know you won’t want us to be unhappy, rather happy you filled our lives with so many jam-packed memories and such happiness. The list is endless. I could talk about them all day long.
Duke, Dukie Boy, Double Neck Dukie, Dukie Doo, Sir Duke, The Dukester, Bruiser – just some of the nicknames for the most strokable, cuddliest, slinky-eared and well natured boy in the world.
Run free our precious boy. You were truly one of a kind in more ways than one and touched so many lives and hearts in London, Australia and across the world.
Until we meet again someday, just know you are loved no end and forever in our hearts. I still feel and think you are beside me and will forever more.
I love you my snuggle buddy. Oh what I would give to hear you bark one time more.
Mum, Dad and Lottie. Xxx
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Many dog owners ask on dog community forums ‘How do I crate train my pup?
So here at 2Royalhounds we have put together some crate training tips to help get you started and explain how the resident Royal Hounds were crate trained with remarkable success.
As the title suggests ‘Start out how you intend to finish’ was the motto we followed to set up crate training with success.
WHAT YOU NEED
Metal crate -Any size but metal is necessary as pups cannot chew it. Canvas crates are suitable once your pup has graduated and accepted crate training. At 2Royalhounds we graduated to the canvas crate around the ages of three.
Mattress – Any sort that fits your crate
Snuggle Sack – Ensures your pup feels safe, secure and warm – Created here @2Royalhounds to help the transition of your pups into their new home.
A ticking heart beat cuddle toy or ticking clock. Any cuddle toy that can be used as a comforter.
Something that smells of you. T-Shirt or a small blanket you have slept with before pup arrives. But something with your scent on it.
Snuggle Safe heat pad for pets.
Water bowl – For hydration
Crate cover or blanket – to cover over the crate during sleeping times.
From Day One when your pup comes home, introduce them to their crate as a positive place. A positive place to sleep, eat and play. Make it a safe den for them to take some time out in whenever they wish. The transition from leaving their litter mates and moving into their new home can be quite a stressful time for new pups and they need to feel secure as soon as possible. A crate environment provides this by confining them to a safe area they then can feel secure in very quickly if implemented in the right way. Pups don’t need a lot of space, in fact lots of space can actually make them more anxious.
HOW TO MAKE A CRATE A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT
1) Feed your pup in their crate – Food is a positive reward for them so feeding them in it makes it a positive place.
2) Play – Place their toys within the crate so they can play within the crate. Play is rewarding and helps make the crate a positive place.
3) Warm and cosy – A nice soft mattress with a snuggle sack so they can hibernate and stay nice and warm and feel safe and cosy warm. Dachshunds instinctively love to burrow so the snuggle sack is the perfect addition to your pet bedding.
4) Place the crate during the day where you spend most of your time and where you can always watch them. They love knowing you are right there and love to see you and hear you.
Keep the door crate open during daylight hours so they are free to go in and out of it. We recommend only closing the crate door when they sleep to begin with as this is the period they are most settled.
5) When starting out its important to train them in short intervals with the door ajar while they take naps until you slowly build it up to closing. The best time to start doing this is when they are sleeping. Once trained, then closure of the door can be for longer extended periods. The crate should not be a place where they feel locked in until they learn to accept the crate. This takes time and patience and a gentle leader. Trust is key.
6) At night we highly recommend keeping the crate near you so they know you are there. Cover it over with either a crate cover or a blanket. This provides a dark environment for night sleep.
We recommend closing the crate door at night to prevent roaming around the home. If you are house breaking a pup during the night when it wakes, then take them outside to do their business and then pop them back in their crate thereafter. If you keep reinforcing this and stay consistent, they will soon learn night time is sleep time with toilet breaks. Keep in mind puppies are unable to hold their bladders for longer intervals due to their small bladders so you will get woken during the night. Routine is key.
Once your dog is crate trained then you can move your crate wherever you like in your home as they will know they are safe in their den.
BENEFITS OF CRATE TRAINING
Provides a safe environment for your pup. Pups don’t need a lot of space, they love to feel secure and the small but comfortable space provides this for them.
We hope the above helps you with some tips on crate training which we feel is beneficial for all new pup owners. The key is to create a routine with positive reinforcement and stick to it to ensure success. There will be some nights where pups will test and try us with whining and crying but if you stick to the routine and not give in to their whims you will eventually successfully crate train. Giving in to them only sets you back on the journey to successfully crate training your pup.
Warning: If you are owned by a dachshund this can also come with extreme stubborn and manipulative behaviour. They are highly intelligent dogs who know very quickly to how to wrap themselves around your little finger. 😊
As our motto states ‘Start out how you intend to finish.’ You will achieve successfully crate trained dogs if that is your intention. And the best time to start is when they are pups! Good luck! You can do it!
Sweet dreams from the 2Royalhounds 😊
]]>What do we owners first buy our puppies? Well of course we always go for all things super comfy, cosy, soft and fluffy. But unbeknownst to us our little Lady Lottie became quite the determined and tenacious little dachshund who loved to dig and dismember all things soft and cosy. She was a true hunter and still is to this very day.
Everything was fair game. From chasing off the cats and squirrels who trawled our garden fence lines to stuffed toys and even her fluffy soft beds. If it had stuffing or fluff, she was on a mission to destroy.
After spending numerous pounds on nice expensive beds, the time had come to rethink our strategy. And that is when a lovely local lady in London whom we met through the dachshund community came to a meet up with some doggie sleeping bags. We bought one to try as a very small investment for a possible solution. Bingo! Success! And as they say the rest is history.
Lottie had finally found her calm. She became the Queen of snuggling. She would burrow into the sleeping bag that kept her safe, secure and warm. She would bury herself in it and settle for hours on end. Wherever her sleeping bag was that is where you would find her. No more de-fluffing of stuffing, the simple sleeping bag was the perfect solution to providing just the calm a little hunting girl needed.
So, when 2Royalhounds was born here in Australia we thought we would start making our very own version of the sleeping bag and called them Snuggle Sacks. We have made many since launching them here in Australia in 2016 and today have many happy hounds all over Australia snuggling up in our signature Snuggle Sacks.
I still remember that day vividly when my mobile phone rang. I was sitting in a café in London just outside Russell Square after returning from one of my very own hospital outpatient appointments. It was our vet.
“Helga we are terribly sorry. We have some sad news. The biopsy taken from Lottie’s growth in her rectum has picked up that she has canine lymphoma.” I was silent, shocked and couldn’t believe what I had just heard. How can our adorable little girl, at the time just 4 years of age, have cancer?
I left the café in a mad rush, jumped onto the London Underground and went straight home. I walked into our home screaming to my hubby Andy……”Lottie has cancer” We were devastated and completely heart broken. Tears just streamed down both our faces, it was so difficult to comes to terms with it all.
I looked at my girl and saw this healthy looking happy full of life little dog. She showed no signs of cancer and best of all she didn’t know. She was a dog living her life and living for the moment. I think she wondered why I was so upset. But at that moment we made a pact together that we would fight this dreaded lymphoma.
In the days that followed after her diagnosis we had various discussions with our vet and a specialist vet oncologist who specialised in rectal canine lymphoma. It was discussed with us that she would need more surgery deeper in through her rectum and bowel to remove as much of the growth as they could. After surgery there were two options for her chemotherapy (CHOP) protocols for her treatment plan if we wanted to go ahead. One was long and enduring with a period of 12 months of treatment whilst another was a short aggressive form of treatment with more potential side effects but with a better chance of success. After much thought we made the decision given she was still a young and fit dog that we would go the more aggressive treatment protocol. After all, 12 months of feeling rotten in a dog’s life is a long time.
After undergoing more surgery, Lottie then began her gruelling chemotherapy protocol. Each week she would go in for blood tests and then chemotherapy. This went on for a number of weeks as she did have a few side effects along the way and some weeks she couldn’t have treatment. She did become neutropenic (low white blood cells) so the cytotoxic drugs could not be administered. But each week she went for her treatment and was just so exceptionally brave. If we humans could take a leaf out of her book on how to cope during cancer treatment then we would have no worries in the world.
After each day of treatment at the vets she would come home that evening. Some treatment days were tougher than others. She was nauseous and weak at times but she did what her little 5kg body allowed her to do. She oozed the heavy scent of cytotoxic drugs after each treatment as her little body was heavily poisoned to kill the cancerous cells. But not once did she complain and she took each day in her stride. She showed me resilience and determination and taught me more about being brave and living each day to the fullest.
At the time we didn’t know if she would get through it all and we also didn’t know how long she would live for thereafter. Follow up appointments were weekly for some months once treatment had finished. Looking back, it was really a waiting game. Time would tell and hopefully time would heal but there was always the unknown.
But as time went on our brave little girl who had fought so hard to beat canine lymphoma was in fact beating the odds.
Our vets still today say she is a living miracle. And without meaning any offence have said she should really shouldn’t still be with us. But of course we are so happy and delighted that she is a success story.
Lottie is now almost 12.5 years of age and still living life to the fullest. Who says a little dog can’t beat canine lymphoma? Lottie certainly doesn’t.
]]>It all began in August 2019 when Sir Duke was chosen as the most suitable dog to perform as ‘Bruiser’ in the live musical Legally Blonde here in Melbourne.
After auditioning amongst other dachshunds, he left his audition having impressed the dog obedience trainer who would be choosing the next doggie star. The TV cameras and media were all there to watch him strut his stuff whilst an anxious Mama was asked to leave the auditioning room to see if he would perform without me in the room. And that he did. I was called back in after his audition had finished to hear the words ‘Duke is a Star’. My heart was so proud of him all that training we had done when he was younger had finally paid off.
Then came the wait. Two weeks after he auditioned, the Producer finally phoned. ‘Is now a good time to talk?’ Of course, it is. ‘Well we have some good news for you. Sir Duke has been chosen as the dog to perform as Bruiser in the leading role on stage for our live musical’
WOW I was gobsmacked! I couldn’t quite believe what I had just heard. After not hearing for 2 weeks of audition outcome I was certain my distinguished old grey boy was certainly not the chosen one. After all, he was up amongst many young guns who were certainly there to impress. How wrong was I.
And so, the journey began with 3 months of training to ensure he was fit for the live stage. Training sessions with the cast were held at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. We would travel into the city for our booked sessions on a regular basis. It was all about the cast getting to know him and him them, working alongside them during the scenes and ensuring he showed no signs of stage fright with all the loud singing and when those dancing girls heels came out.
The loudness of the orchestra provided lots of stimulation for a little dachshund who was clearly in his element. Duke showed spunk! He loved every minute of his training and before we knew it, he was running out on stage and barking on cue with the cast when asked.
November rolled on very quickly and the show was due to go live to an audience very soon. The final week before live performances started, he had sessions each evening in the theatre on the actual stage in the pink space. A first for him away from the usual place at the Victorian College of the Arts. This time it was full-on stage lights and a 30-piece orchestra pumping out the music all added to the mix. All firsts for him and his final test. Before we knew it, final dress rehearsal night was here. Now was his last chance to perform before the show went live. And that he did. He was now ready to become a star of the stage.
‘Chookas Duke’, ‘Break a leg Duke’- the premier night was here. Everyone was super excited and the cast couldn’t wait to go live. Months of preparation and training and it was all about to get real. Legally Blonde Melbourne had arrived and so had Elle Woods and her little show dog called ‘Bruiser’.
For 8 weeks of performances Sir Duke held his nerve and did the cast and I absolutely proud. Each performance he stepped out onto the stage and never faltered. He performed his role just as he was trained to do.
Many friends and family came to see him perform. Each and every one of them said he was amazing and loved him. Many said he stole the show - no surprise really given we all love a four-legged performing doggo.
For me as his fur Mama it was one of the most memorable and proudest moments of my life with him. Not every dog becomes a stage dog and not just any dog can do it.
Sir Duke was definitely born to be a star.
]]>We are true believers in the wonderful benefits of doggie bone broth. So much so that we get it daily with our diet. Bone broth is packed with minerals and nutrients that keeps our whole body happy and healthy. It helps us keep a spring in our step and wagging our tails.
What are the benefits you ask?
Our ageing joints.
Bone Broth is loaded with super amounts of glucosamine and it’s also packed with joint protecting compounds like chondroitin and hyaluronic acid. Now we all know these are all essential for optimal joint maintenance.
Helps immune function and helps to detoxify the liver. A little secret amino acid in bone broth called glycine helps the liver detoxify any onslaught of nasties. And this is found in bone broth.
Digestive tract. It also helps promote good gut health and helps prevent leaky gut.
And guess what not only is it good for us but golly its super tasty also. We love it!
Thinking about adding bone broth to your dog’s diet then we want to share a recipe that we have been using for many years now. It needs to be cooked slowly in a slow cooker for up to 24hrs. And a one good tip is cook it outside as it really does smell like bones.
The recipe we use is here. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-to-make-bone-broth-for-your-dog/
]]>If you own a dachshund, we highly recommend that you read up and learn about Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). This is our breeds’ number one health problem, with one in four affected.
When I lived in London, I was fortunate enough to spend some years volunteering for the Dachshund UK Breed Council. During that time, I attended seminars with leading neurologists at the Royal Veterinary College London.
Being a nurse, I had always had a keen interest and passion learning more about it as my very first dachshund Schultz (pictured) sadly went down to IVDD some years ago now. Little information was around back then like there is today and as a dachshund owner we simply relied on our vets to inform us as best they could. Fortunately, that has changed over time and now we have many informative platforms to read up and educate ourselves on this crippling disease.
What is IVDD?
In a nutshell IVDD is degeneration and calcification of the spinal discs. This calcification, as it builds up, potentially starts to cause compression of the spinal cord and in some cases causes a complete disc herniation, rupture, bulge or displacement. Why does it happen so easily? Unlike in us humans whereby the spinal cord sits and runs through the middle of our intervertebral discs, in dogs the spinal cord sits outside the intervertebral disc essentially unprotected. So, when calcification builds up it applies direct pressure to the spinal cord. When spinal cord compression occurs, we start to see the signs and symptoms of IVDD. There are different stages to IVDD and some dachshunds start to show signs and symptoms quite early as the calcification builds up and starts to apply pressure to the spinal cord. But others don’t show any signs and are suddenly often found completely paralysed due to a complete herniation or rupture. Either way we highly recommend that as a responsible dachshund owner you read and up and learn all about the signs and symptoms so you know how to act should your dachshund start to show those signs.
When IVDD strikes time is of the essence in ensuring the best outcome for your dachshund. Our motto is ‘Being forewarned is being forearmed’
How can I learn about IVDD?
Here in Australia we have a dedicated website for dachshund owners to read up and learn all about IVDD. It also has up to date resources for you should you find your dachshund suddenly affected. We highly recommend you visit this website and digest its contents www.ivdd.org.au
If your dachshund is sadly affected by IVDD then you also have access to a dedicated support group for owners here in Australia https://www.facebook.com/groups/dachshundivddsupportaustralia/
We also highly recommend the UK Dachshund Breed Council for further up to date information on IVDD and the latest developments.
https://www.dachshund-ivdd.uk/
In summary, IVDD in dachshunds is not a death sentence and many can go on to living happy ‘new normal’ lives after IVDD. My first dachshund Schultz was living proof of that.
He was struck down with IVDD at 7.5 years of age and peacefully passed away of old age at 15.
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