Belvie the Dachshund with a spinal problem
Belvie belonged to an elderly man in Idaho who had to go into a nursing home. Belvie had clearly been neglected: His toenails were so long they curled underneath his feet, and he was terribly skinny.
Belvie first went to a private rescuer, but he needed medical treatment for an abscess on his face and some dental work that this rescuer couldn't afford, so he ended up at the Kootenai Humane Society in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
A family in Missoula briefly adopted Belvie, but that didn't work out, so back to the shelter he went. The Missoula family felt bad about it and contacted us to see if we would be able to take him. In the meantime, the shelter continued to try and find someone to adopt him, but didn't have any success.
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So we agreed to take him, but only after Alayne had come down with a bad case of Dachshunditis and mumbled to Steve from her sickbed, "Well, jeez, what's one more Dachshund anyway?" (Hmm.)
Belvie's got the classic bad back problem that affects our other miniature Dachshunds. He can get around at an astonishing rate of speed, but swiveling and sashaying (is that a word?) as he goes. He has difficulty climbing up and down, and occasionally teeters over, but he's not as compromised as Bailey by any means. The back problem, of course, affects his neurological capabilities, so he has the usual incontinence issue our other mini-Doxies have. (Please join us as we celebrate National Linoleum Appreciation Week.)
Belvie is obsessed with soft squeaky toys, just like our blind dog Goldie. Whenever we come into the house, he gets excited and grabs a toy and starts running in circles through the living room, around the kitchen and across the dining room, making a big loop through the house, squeaking as he goes.
Posted July 2007
