Henry is a 5 and a half year old, miniature brindle dachshund. Henry is a super playful boy who hasn’t grown out of the puppy stage. He is cheeky, inquisitive and clever.
On 4 December 2022 during the early morning, Henry was struggling to sleep. He was continuously shaking and his stomach was quite tense. Henry was rushed to a 24/7 veterinary clinic for a consult. After being told to monitor Henry, he returned home. The next day Henry woke up without the use of his back legs. Henry took a visit to his local vet who phoned SASH Western Sydney.
On 5 December 2022 Henry had his first presentation at Western Sydney SASH. He was diagnosed with stage 3 IVDD and was under the care of the orthopaedic team. On the same day, Henry underwent spinal surgery completed by Dr Jack Neville-Towle.
Henry’s surgery went well and we were told he could return home in 3-5 days post surgery. Henry being the determined little daschy that he is independently toileted a day post surgery, meaning that he was able to come home the next day. When we picked Henry up, he even walked himself from SASH to the car. For a boy with stage 3 IVDD to go from being unable to stand one day to walking himself the next was a miracle!
Over the next four months, Henry returned to SASH for regular rehabilitation and hydrotherapy sessions. Henry completed his daily rehabilitation ‘homework’ at home and built up enough muscle mass and strength to be cleared to return to his pre-injury lifestyle in April 2023.
One year on from his surgery and Henry is as energetic as ever. He loves running around the backyard and chasing his brother and sister (both miniature dachshunds too). Henry has made such an amazing recovery thanks to the team at SASH!
