Bella, my son's doxie, was outside playing with 2 friends the other day, both are chiuaua mix. That evening she became lethargic and seemed to have trouble holding up her head. We took her to the vet and they put her on prednisone pills and cage rest. It has been 2 days and she is not much better. They are going to add muscle relaxers to her treatment. I had read some older posts about common problems..is anyone available to talk that has had a dachsund with a similar condition?

We have a 13 year old Doxie. He has been plaqued with spine problems in the past. Doxies are very suseptible to back problems because of their body structure.

When our dog first showed signs of not feeling well, we did not realize it was a spine problem. He would sit in one spot and not move and hang his head. We took him to the vet who treated him with prednisone and explained the spinal problems that are common in doxies. Took x-ray and said that not now, but eventually, he'd need a spine operation (this is major surgery and could go either way). The injection was good for a few months and our little guy was getting along fine until one day he just could not move. He had a spine operation on several of his discs on mid back. At a University Veterinary Medical Center. He was confined to a cage for approximately three weeks, only taken out of the cage to go out to the bathroom. He was very good about it all. Never crying to get out of the cage. Slowly, with a little harness that went around his belly and looked something like a hoist, he started walking. At the time of the procedure, we were told there was a chance that he would not regain the use of his back legs. That was a few years ago. He is fine now, but slow to get around. Your son should take his dog to either a Veterinary facility at a University (they are very knowledgeable in these areas), or to an orthopedic vet and have x-rays done of his spine and get the full picture.

This is a common problem in the breed.