Angel Beagle Tess

Hi everyone,

I hope you don't mind that I'm posting here (for the first and probably last time). I wanted to share about my beautiful dog Tess, who passed away after 16 years of life yesterday afternoon. <3

Tess, a lemon beagle, was diagnosed with IVDD when she was 5 years old. She had 11 more years of a happy, healthy life after her initial diagnosis and back surgery. The first couple of years after her surgery were challenging at times, but she recovered very well and I am so fortunate to have had so much more time with her. I am also fortunate to have had a supportive, skillful veterinary team to work with during her early healing process, and different veterinary care later in her golden years when she had other health issues arise. A brief version of her IVDD story: she had spinal compression from an IVDD related disc issue when she was 5 years old. She was a 'downed dog' (paralyzed in her hind legs) for approximately 36 hours before she could get into a veterinary surgeon in the area we lived. The day after her surgery, she stood up on her own. A few days later she was walking. One of the best memories I have of her is when the veterinary staff were leading her down the hallway after her surgery and she was pulling on the leash, trying to get to me faster. Tess had 10 weeks of post-surgery laser therapy, plenty of supportive medications, and I also did some at-home hydro therapy once she was cleared to do so (filled up the bathtub with lukewarm water, gently moved her legs, as instructed by the veterinarian team). Approximately 3-4 months after her surgery, she went for her first gingerly run around the yard again. That was another beautiful moment to have with her.

While she was in the hospital for her surgery, I modified our home space for her in modest ways to help ensure she could have a good environment. For the weeks directly following her surgery, she did spend a lot of time resting in a large crate. I gradually widened that to an enclosed dog pen area in the living room, and then eventually used the same dog pen gates to block off access to problematic areas of the house. In that home and future homes, I put in simple dog ramps for entering/exiting the home, and made sure she would not have access to going up/down flights of stairs. I also used a foldable dog ramp for entering/exiting the car (I would highly recommend this, a foldable ramp was a real lifesaver whenever traveling with her and was around $50). Over time, I got the hang of doing quick environmental scans for different areas she might be entering, and learned how to work around certain limitations. Many times I had to make the call that a particular environment wouldn't be a good fit for her at family or friend's homes, and that it was better for me to leave her at home or keep her in a separate space. Still many times Tess was able to safely and comfortably come with me, and we went to many different places together over the years. Another wonderful memory I have is of bringing her to the ocean to wade in the salty sea and push her paws into the soft sands. She always was a little bit of a water sprite.

I learned a lot about how to best take care of her over the years thanks to forums like this one, and I am grateful to everyone who has shared about their own experiences caring for dogs with special needs. I want to encourage everyone who has a special dog to take heart, be gentle with yourself and your pup, and to know that it is very feasible to provide a good, safe home and make many more beautiful memories following a challenging diagnosis.

I'm wishing you and all your wonderful dogs all the best. <3