Daisey the dachshund is paralyzed.

Employees of Warren Veterinary said that Daisey has been paralyzed since last September, and was treated at the clinic for six weeks. When the care for Daisey became overwhelming for her owner, employees said, one of their technicians offered to adopt her so that her owner would not be faced with the need to euthanize her.

Dachshunds are one of several breeds of dog known as chondrodystophoid breeds. Their short legs and relatively long backs are actually a condition known as chondrodystropic dwarfism. The condition makes them vulnerable to back issues, such as disc disease, which is what left Daisey unable to use her hind legs, employees of Warren Veterinary Hospital said.

Basically, the condition causes the structures between the vertebrae of chondrodystophoid breeds to turn from a jelly-like substance to cartilage, and even mineralize – become structurally similar to bone – and constitutes a degenerative disorder for dogs affected by it.

In Daisey’s case, the compression of her spine caused the paralysis of her back legs. While surgery is an option for disc disease in some dogs, it’s not always effective and the cost of maintaining a paralyzed dog can become unmanageable, employees explained.

Daisey was treated with anti-inflamatories for several weeks, along with strict cage rest, but it didn’t seem to help. It was at that point, employees said that Daisey’s owner had made the difficult decision to euthanize her. But that’s when the technician stepped in. “I offered to adopt her,” said the tech, instead of euthanizing her. But, she added, there’s no blame to be placed on the owner who couldn’t manage Daisey’s care.

“If it weren’t for me being able to bring her here,” the tech explained, “I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Daisey has a cart so that she can go outside and for walks, the tech explained, but over the past eleven months she’s gained a lot of muscle in her front legs and shoulders, and tends to get around pretty well without it inside. She still “runs” around after a bath, as many dogs do, and she’s still the alpha dog among the pack that spends its days at the clinic, all of whom belong to employees. She has to be crated at night, explained the tech, so that she doesn’t terrorize the family’s three cats, who are actually afraid of the paralyzed dachshund, she explained.

And while it’s possible that Daisey may one day make a recovery, veterinarian Amy Gealy said, “it’s not like she’ll be running any marathons,” even if she does. The muscles have atrophied at this point, and even if the spine was decompressed, it would likely be difficult for Daisey to regain full functionality of her back legs.

And while her paralysis doesn’t affect her ability to control her bathroom needs, her inability to get around well does. That’s why a post by the Warren Veterinary Hospital on Facebook asking for donations of size three children’s diapers was shared over 225 times. That one post saw a total of around 300 diapers being donated to Daisey and her caretaker, the tech said. Daisey goes through about four or five diapers a day, said the tech, and also uses puppy training pads and children’s size 3 to 18 month nightgowns, which Daisey’s caretaker cuts and uses as “drag bags,” which make it easier for Daisey to get around the house than the cart, which can prohibit her from getting into all the little nooks and crannies of the house that she enjoys, like under the kitchen table.

Daisey’s caretaker said that it’s only because of her circumstances – the ability to bring Daisey to work with her and a crew of three children and a husband at home who are willing to help when Daisey needs to be at home and her caretaker can’t be with her – that she was able to commit to adopting Daisey, who at the age of seven could live to be fifteen years old or more, Gealy explained.

It helped, the tech said, that she got good and attached to Daisey during the six weeks she was treated at the clinic.

The same veterinary technician has a miniature schnauzer named Max, who is also a rescue dog, and three cats at home, one of which was signed over to the vet after he was involved in an accident and the person involved brought him in. “We’re all suckers for animals,” joked Gealy on Wednesday. “But she’s the biggest sucker of us all,” she laughed, pointing at Daisey’s caretaker.

Anyone who’d like to donate size three diapers, size 3 to 18 month children’s nightgowns, or puppy training pads to Daisey’s cause can drop them off at the Warren Veterinary Hospital, 21870 Route 6 in Starbrick.