Our beloved cocker spaniel is in the doggy hospital tonight after having back surgery yesterday. We are hoping for improvement that will mean he will be able to walk again.

He was fine day before yesterday, but started acting sore later on, and didn't want to get on the furniture. Then when I took him out to do his business, he couldn't get into position and just laid down. He got progressively worse, and whimpered in apparent pain. My wife slept with him on the couch, as he wanted to be ON somebody, and that eased him for a while.

However, the next morning (yesterday) he couldn't move his hind legs at all. We immediately took him to the vet, who sent us to a special surgery clinic about an hour away. They performed back surgery (a doggie neurologist did it) yesterday afternoon, removing disk material from 3 herniated disks in his lower back.

The surgeon says there is an 80% to 90% chance for improvement, but as of this morning he still couldn't move his legs. Not a fun weekend wondering whether he will regain the use of his rear legs, and get all of his bodily functions back.

Fudge ( a chocolate cocker) is only 6 years old. He's had some disk problems before that were treated with rest, but this is a new, acute rupture according to the surgeon.

We sure do miss the boy.