Wallace's Kennel Sophie's Page

Sophie was my first breeding female. She was also the first Dapple I had ever seen. She was my Alpha dog, and she ruled every dog in her domain, as well as any dog brought to our home. She was loyal, loveable, smart and stubborn to the end. She was very devoted to me, and would protect me with her life if need be.

I lost Sophie in July 2003 after a very sudden, short illness. I will never know for certainty what caused her death, but after researching her symptoms, I feel I’ve come close to finding the cause of her death.

Sophie awoke on the morning of the 4th and seemed to be fine. I noticed she was hesitant to go out but she finally did. After taking care of the dogs, I went to the kennel to groom for the next day’s dog show. A little while later, my husband came out and said Sophie cannot walk.

The vet was closed due to the holiday. I immediately crated her and gave her medication that I had on hand. On Sunday morning, I was able to contact my vet, and took Sophie to see him. After examining her, he felt that she may have a ruptured disk or sprained her back, and said to continue treatment with medication and rest.

A few days later, she was no better. Again we visited the vet, this time he decided to take x-rays. The x-rays seemed to be fine, with the correct spacing between each disk. There was no sign of a spinal injury. He decided to change medication and recommended I might want to consider seeing a specialist.

We were again visiting the vet. This time Sophie’s paralysis seemed to be moving up her body. She had lost control of her bladder and from that point on I had to express her bladder manually. My vet seemed to be puzzled by the other symptoms, and I was hesitant to see a specialist.

Sophie's symptoms continued for the next 10 days, with repeated trips to the vet, a change in medication. I was prepared to see a specialist after Sophie started declining fast. Among her symptoms were hoarse, husky bark, panting, drooling, paralysis that moved from the rear up her body, loss of appetite, nictitating membranes starting to show (third eyelid).

On the morning of the tenth day from the onset of her illness, I was to take her back to the vet. I knew a decision would have to be made. She could not go on in her condition. Ultimately, I did not have to make that decision. I awoke that morning and Sophie had passed. My veterinarian recommended an autopsy, and one was performed. The results showed no infection of the spine, no lesions on the brain, kidneys, liver, and her heart was in good condition. Other than a slight bladder infection, he could find nothing wrong.

Sophie's death will always remain a mystery. However, I decided to research her symptoms, which resulted in my discovery of tick paralysis. Sophie had at least 3 or more symptoms in each stage of the disease.

Read more below to find out about tick paralysis and how it may be prevented. This disease is treatable if caught in an early stage. Most veterinarians will automatically treat your Dachshund for a spinal cord or disk injury. This disease will mimic those symptoms in the early stages. If you do not see results with medication in the first few days, ask your veterinarian about tick paralysis.

What is it? The saliva of some common female wood ticks contains a poison that affects the motor nerves, producing weakness and paralysis.

Signs appear about one week after a dog has been exposed to a wooded area. Over the next 48 to 72 hours the dog grows progressively weaker. Sensation to a pin prick is normal. In time, the paralysis reaches a level where the dog collapses and is unable to lift his head. Death can occur from respiratory arrest

Is there treatment? Seek veterinary attention whenever a dog exhibits unexplained weakness. Tick paralysis can be prevented by removing ticks promptly from the dog. Use tick control.