We make a promise to every dog who is adopted that we will be the safety net for them if their family ever needs to surrender them back to us for any reason - Any cause, any situation, any condition.
That is a big promise to keep and since 2009, we have only been able to do what You make possible, and it seems the Universe has it out for us as, we are back, for the FOURTH time in one month, to help us cover an IVDD surgery because we promised Thumper we would be there for him if he ever needed us.
And he does.
Thumper is a DRSF alumni who made his way to our door in April, 2017, all of two months old and 3.5 lbs, a “stray” out of a local shelter, paralyzed in the back end due to IVDD. You made his care possible 6 years ago and Thumper has been living his happily ever after until now…..
Thumper’s family surrendered him back to us over the weekend to help him battle IVDD for a second time, but this time it is with an even more insidious neurological twist - this time Thumper’s IVDD has been brought on by Diskospondylitis- “which is a condition in which an intervertebral disc and its adjacent vertebrae become inflamed due to a bacterial or (less likely) fungal infection. ”
A decision to surrender due to a medical condition is a very complicated and emotional one and we hold no ill will for Thumper’s family as medical care is not just about the finances necessary to provide care, it is also about the emotional and logistical ability to provide the care required after a procedure and for whatever comes after it in the future. It is not our place to determine who can and cannot “afford” care nor is it our place to tell someone that they can or should be able to provide the ongoing rehab and after care for an IVDD dog. Not all families, homes, and lives operate the same and it is not our place to judge.
We are here for the dogs.
Today, we are here for Thumper who is under the care of Dr. De Pompa at Southeast Veterinary Neurology who, through an MRI, has diagnosed Thumper with IVDD & Discospondylitis and is taking this sweet boy to surgery to give him the only chance he has to be able to regain his ability to walk after an infection brought him right back to where he was 6 years ago.
We are not “Dachshund- Only If You Are In The Shelter”. We are not “Dachshund - You Have HIt Your Deductible Limit” and we certainly are not “Dachshund- You Only Get Rescued Once”.
We are Dachshund Rescue South Florida and this evening, we ask your support to not just keep the promise we make to all our dogs, but to keep the promise we made to Thumper, who has returned to our door asking for a 2nd chance.
As always, all it takes is $1 to earn bragging rights of having joined the hardest loving, hardest working team in rescue. We can only do what you empower us to do and tonight, we have fingers and paws crossed that you believe Thumper is worth it.
