“This is Ruby my Miniature Dachshund 12 weeks after [Intervertebral Disk Disease] (IVDD) surgery, full recovery and sassy as ever! Just wanted to share a happy recovery story to give some people hope as I know how hard this experience can be! 

IVDD was something I had read about before getting a Dachshund but always thought that won’t happen to my dog! Ruby is 4 years old and is a very active doggo, we do have stairs in our house and she was used to jumping on sofas as much as we did try and limit it. 

12 weeks ago Ruby was sitting on the lounge and all of a sudden started to scream, I had never heard her make that noise before. She then jumped on the ground and couldn’t walk properly in her back legs and kept sitting down in pain, we straight away took her to the Vet. They did an exam and couldn’t see anything wrong with her back but she screamed if you touched her back legs, at that point we went home with pain medication and limited her movement. She had no other symptoms [until] about five days after and it happened again, we then took her back to the Vets and got an X-ray and bloods done. They then realised it was IVDD and we drove straight to the Animal Referral Hospital in Homebush [NSW]. 

Ruby the Miniature Dachshund after IVDD surgery

Her MRI and CT showed she had mineralization on her spine at L1 and L2 was causing liquid to erupt into her spinal cord which is extremely painful. She had surgery and stayed in hospital for a week. Luckily I was covered with Pet Insurance Australia and could get Pre approval for Ruby’s surgery before she went in to make sure everything was covered. I was rebated 80% of her Vet bills which was a huge help! As the bill was around 14k in total with the surgery, Xray, MRI, CT and one week stay in the hospital. Pet insurance helped me so much, I would not have been able to afford the surgery otherwise!

We are so grateful that Ruby has fully recovered. 

Ruby the Miniature Dachshund at the beach

We have Installed baby gates on our stairs and there’s foam cushions to help her get on to the bed and lounge. Her life is definitely not as free as it was but she is still very sassy, happy and constantly sun baking!” 

Rosa & Ruby, proud Pet Insurance Australia customers, Sept 2020.  

Pet insurance can help by covering a portion of the eligible vet bill if the unexpected happens. Because it is difficult to predict the costs of veterinary care, it can help to have measures in place to help prepare for the unexpected. Check out our partner network and explore our policy tools to find a pet insurance policy.

Not all conditions or items are covered by Pet Insurance. Refer to the applicable Product Disclosure Statement for information about coverage and exclusions.