Ziggy and Bo need your help (IVDD)

Ziggy and Bo are two little miniature sausage dogs, although I say that Bo looks more like a Shetland pony.

They were a gift to me when my mom passed away and I literally did not know whether to laugh or cry.

It was like having two human crying, pooing, weeing babies who did not sleep and needed to be mothered 24/7. The mothering 24/7 has not changed, but they sure took my mind off my broken heart.

10 years later and a hell of a journey of various medical ailments, however, I could not imagine my life/world without them and I would not change having them for anything in the world.

We are together 24/7. They are my gifts from God, the air that I breathe, my heartbeats, my human little children with emotions, very gentle souls and oh so clever.

They each have their own unique personalities and characters and they are just the epitome of love, loyalty, adoration and laughter.

I do not know who gets more separation anxiety when we are apart for a few minutes, them or me.

They are the most loving, kind, funny, adorable, well behaved little earth angels you can ever imagine.

Everyone knows Bo and Ziggy, my famous little twosome and they even have their own Facebook page.

People recognize them on the promenade before they recognize me.

Kids ask their moms to take them to the park to play with Bo and Ziggy.

They are eye opening, incredibly well behaved, precious little love molecules/beings and this comes from the fact that they have grown up in safety, love and protection their whole little lives.

Sadly though, they have had a very rough ride with their health. Too much to mention it all here right now.

Bo's IVDD (something that is sadly inherent for a lot of Dachshunds) is more severe. He has already had two exceptionally painful back operations, been in ICU, had blood transfusions and there is an ever-present red flag that a third disk could rupture.

He has a gammy, bent leg that he was born with.

Due to his back and his right leg, his hip and leg are giving in and he has to sometimes wear a leg brace for support, just like Forest. He also has arthritis so his little hoc is swollen and it rubs bone on bone.

His bones from his spine where he was operated on stick out and have very little protection under his skin and it causes him pain unless he has constant pain relief, physio treatment and meds.

Due to all these factors and because he does not walk properly his body takes strain.

Ziggy's disks are degenerating all the way down her neck and back and she has a pinched nerve in her neck that causes her a lot of pain. She is too tiny to do surgery in both places, so the same applies to her.

There have been many occasions that they need to be taken out in their pram.

Trust me when I say that they have me wrapped around their little paws and they come first.

I have done and will continue to do everything in my power to see that they have everything they need to keep them happy, safe, pain free and live a quality life.

I always say I thank G-d they got me as a mommy or else they would have never survived.

I am self-employed, work on a commission basis and I am a sole provider. Sadly, Covid has taken care of all but destroying what I built up over the years. I am getting back on the horse with huge aplomb because I am a warrior, a survivor, a fighter, a Phoenix and a magician, but right now I find myself in a situation that I need to be authentic and brave enough to put out into the Universe to do what I need to do to make sure that my kids do not suffer.

If anything had to happen to my Earth Angel, gentle little babies, I will be devastated.

After 10 years of being with my medical insurance they had made it impossible to keep Bo and Ziggy covered which is just not a possibility! They have made the cost of their cover three times the original price I was paying. I cannot move to another medical insurance as they will be excluded from everything they need to be covered for when G-d forbid something gives in for either one of them and they need further surgery or medical care.

We can never be in a position that they cannot be helped or they will suffer or even worse cannot be saved, that is just not an option!

They 100 percent need to be treated weekly to alleviate their pain, to slow down the destruction and pain of IVDD, arthritis, the degenerating disks, the bowing leg and the effects of the pinched nerve.

Both of them are on special food that costs an exorbitant amount of money.

Ziggy has a food allergy and if she eats any other food she gets severe diarrhea and pain.

She also cannot breathe properly and Bo needs food for his joints. I have researched for an alternative food but there is not one available and the food supplier also make it almost impossible to afford the food. It’s a no-win situation I have been hit with and there is no other way out.

This does not include all the medication I need to keep them on.

Ziggy and Bo desperately need their physio treatments, medicines and special food not only to keep them out of pain but to prolong them deteriorating to the point where they need to be operated on and G-d forbid do not survive. Worst case scenario is that they will need medical intervention, MRI scans, ICU, surgery and recovery and they will not covered.

Please be assured that they are not living a life in pain. I make sure that they are exceptionally happy and healthy.

They are my life, and I can’t even think about anything going wrong and happening to them.

It has taken a lot for me to reach out, be authentic and have to ask for help but when it comes to my children, I will do anything

Please will you be kind enough to assist us in making sure that my kids don't have to live in pain and/or be in a situation where they can’t get the necessary care and protection they desperately need.

We will be most grateful because after many calls and emails up and down I have hit a brick wall with their medical insurance and now need to swallow my pride and reach out.

Any amount is welcome, it all adds up. For those living internationally the South African exchange rate allows for any small amount to be a blessing towards helping us reach the MIND-BOGGLING astronomical goal amount that we must achieve.

Yours in gratitude,

Much love, hugs, kisses, bum wags and licks

Sharon, Bo and Ziggy.

You can see Bo and Ziggy's journeys and life on their FB page https://www.facebook.com/ziggy.bo.3