GUEST BLOG: MEET BRAND AMBASSADORS FRANKIE AND DOTTIE!

Hi there! We are Frankie & Dottie and we are both Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshunds and sausage sisters with the same mum and dad! We are Butcher’s Brand Ambassadors, you can find us on Instagram where we share our lives and tell all our friends how much we love Butcher’s Healthy Heart recipes. Our hoomans Sarah and Jordan answered some questions all about us and our lives in the North West of England. We’re not surprised you’re interested, we’re kind of a big deal…

What are their personalities like?

Although they’re full sisters, Frankie & Dottie both have such different personalities. Frankie is bold and inquisitive to the point where it borders on  just being nosy! She’s a strong independent woman and will happily play on her own for hours on end.

Dottie on the other hand is just a little baby, even though she is close to 40 in human years. She loves cuddling with her sister and parents, but loves her food even more… She will come and nibble your face and eyebrows to remind you that it’s almost time
for dinner.

Even though they have their different personalities, they’re still just classic Dachshunds. Hilarious, full of character, needy and love a snuggle under blankets!

Can you tell us about their Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) diagnosis and how they’re doing now?

Both Frankie and Dottie have had spinal surgery for Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), a degenerative condition that is unfortunately particularly prevalent in Dachshunds. All dog’s spinal discs degenerate with age, but Dachshunds start degenerating from a much earlier age, with 1 in 4 Dachshunds suffering from some form of back disease in their lifetime.

Frankie’s first time was in May 2021 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 IVDD. We took her in because she was in pain when picking her up or moving her, she struggled to walk and would look “drunk” on her back legs. She had an MRI which identified the IVDD and she had spinal surgery to remove the fluid that was compressing on her spinal cord.

The surgery went well and she was on crate rest for 8-12 weeks, which saw her back to full health. Unfortunately a different disc then went another year later, and the same process was repeated!

Dottie also had IVDD in September 2021, but she was worse than Frankie with stage 3, and so was completely off her feet and couldn’t use her back legs at all. It was a really scary time, as IVDD can progress so quickly and leave dogs with permanent paralysis. Fortunately, our veterinary hospital was amazing with all three occurrences in the girls. Dottie still has a strange gait in her back legs as a result of the IVDD and surgery, but both are otherwise really healthy and you genuinely wouldn’t know that they’ve had spinal surgery.

The advice is to ensure we exercise them both as we normally would (30-45 minute walk a day) as this will keep their muscles and body strong and healthy. As with all Dachshunds and smaller dogs, you should avoid letting them run up and down stairs, and jumping on and off high objects as this will increase the chance of a disc going.

Do you have any feeding tips?

Try and keep regular feeding times every day, even at the weekend when you might want a lie in! We feed F&D at around 7:30am for breakfast and then between 5 – 6pm on an evening. This way you will get your dog into a healthy routine which will help with their general behaviour and sleep. It’s amazing how their body clock knows exactly the time they want their Butcher’s!

Outside of their regular meals, we give them Butcher’s Naturally Meaty Treats as a reward for good behaviour (when out on walks, teaching tricks etc.) and limit the amount of human scraps they have. Dottie would probably eat everything in the house if we gave in to her, so it’s healthy to manage their weight.

Who is their best friend?

Their bestie is a Golden Retriever named Hank – they’ve known him since he was a pup and taught him how to be a good boy. The size difference is huge (he’s probably about 14x their weight) but he’s a very gentle soul and is careful around them both.

When mum and dad are both away, they go to a Dachshund Daycare in Cheshire, which is licensed to have up to 18 Dachshunds at once! They absolutely love it there, even though it must be Dachshund chaos!