Q: Treatment for back problems in dachshunds is either medical (non-surgical) or surgical. Depending on the cause and severity of your dachshund's back problems, your vet may recommend medical therapy. For example, if your dachshund's IVDD is mild, then medical therapy would probably work. If she has a spinal infection (e.g., discospondylitis, an infection of the vertebrae and discs), then medical therapy could be effective. Examples of medical therapy are pain reduction, cage confinement, weight management, and antibiotics. Your dachshund will start feeling much better when he's in less pain. Your vet will prescribe a pain medication, either steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), to reduce the pain and inflammation in your dachshund's back and spine. Reducing your dachshund's pain will be important, regardless of his specific back problem. Since NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and other digestive problems, they should be given with care and following your vet's instructions and always with or after food. Steroids could cause your dachshund to gain weight, among other problems (e.g., weakened bones, liver problems). Steroids cannot be given with NSAIDs. If your dachshund has IVDD, her back or neck muscles may spasm. To relieve these spasms, your vet will prescribe a muscle relaxant. Heat and massage can also relieve muscle spasms. If your dachshund has a spinal infection, he would need treatment that would kill the culprit organism. This treatment may be an antibiotic, an antifungal medication, or another type of medication, depending on the organism. Cage or crate confinement is especially important for treating mild cases of IVDD, since the confinement would give the damaged disc(s) a chance to heal. Confinement could last anywhere from two to six weeks. Your vet will advise you on the length of confinement. If you have already crate trained your dachshund, then her confinement shouldn't be too difficult to manage. If she is not crate trained, try to keep her as still and quiet as possible in her normal sleeping area. Being confined to the cage or crate could be very lonely for your dachshund. Make sure you continue to talk to her and interact with her during her confinement period. Cage confinement may not be necessary for all back problems. Your vet will let you know if your dachshund's specific back problem will require confinement. Excess weight on your dachshund puts more pressure on his back. If you have been feeding more than the recommended amount of food to your dachshund, then you will need to reduce his food intake. Work with your vet to determine how much food your dachshund should eat per day, and measure this amount of food with a measuring cup. Consider eliminating all treats from your dachshund's diet, especially store-bought dog treats. Specially-formulated weight loss diets could help your dachshund lose weight without missing out on important nutrients.
A: Determine if medical therapy will effectively treat the back problem. Reduce your dachshund's pain. Treat your dachshund's muscle spasms. Treat the infection. Keep your dachshund confined in her cage or crate. Do not overfeed your dachshund.

Q: This helps to give an extra element of fantasy to your story. Part of the fun of a fantasy world is seeing mythical creatures come to life. Use traditional mythical creatures, such as elves, fairies, ogres, and vampires, or create your own. If you use traditional mythical creatures, such as vampires or mermaids, establish what these creatures are like in your story, as variations of mythical creatures vary. In Twilight, for examples, vampires can choose not to eat people and sparkle in the daylight. In Buffy, however, the majority of vampires cannot control their tendency towards evil and will die if exposed to sunlight. This step isn't essential to all fantasy stories. Use your best judgement to decide which characters will work best in your story. Give your main characters a motivation to help create the conflict and resolution in your story. This motivation could be a goal, the influence of their peers, or their own personal values. Give your characters strengths and flaws that relate to their motivation to give them depth. For example, perhaps there has been a tsunami in your fantasy land and your main character is desperately trying to save their family. Ask yourself what each character wants. For example, maybe a character named Ramona was abandoned by her mother. All she wants is a family of her own. She tends to be overly jealous and clingy with her friends, a flaw, but one that's understandable given her abandonment issues. Almost all fantasy stories have a hero. Give this character unique strength and determination to help move the plot forward. Position this character to fight the main antagonist and thus solve the central conflict. Usually, the hero does not realize he or she is special right away. Luke Skywalker does not realize he can use the force until meeting Obi Wan Kenobi. Harry Potter does not know he's a wizard until Hagrid informs him. Try to choose an otherwise ordinary character as your hero. Readers will more easily relate to a character who seems like a mostly normal person. Try to find ways to foreshadow that the hero is important. The easiest way to do this is to tell the story from the hero's perspective. Many fantasy stories feature a mentor, such as Obi-Wan in Star Wars and Hagrid and Dumbledore in Harry Potter. Use your mentor to help guide your hero throughout the story. . Traditionally, the mentor is someone slightly older than your hero. The mentor generally knows the rules and conventions of the society your hero is navigating and has often known the whole time the hero is special or unique. Introducing a mentor is a great way to explain the conventions of your world in a manner that does not feel clunky or overly expositional. Think of how awkward Star Wars would be if Luke simply explained the force to the audience. Having Obi-Wan explain it allows the force to be explained smoothly. A villain is an important element of a fantasy story, as it gives the hero someone to fight against. Make the villains motive clear to make the character realistic. For example, in the Lion King, Scar wants to rule the Kingdom and feels inadequate when compared to his brother. This desire for control and his sibling rivalry drives his actions throughout the story. Audiences will be more moved by your villain's plight if they feel they understand him or her. For example, give your villain a tragic backstory. This can help explain why he or she has turned to evil in the present.
A:
Create non-human creatures to add variation. Decide what motivates your characters. Create a hero character with pure motives to win over your readers. Consider including a mentor to give the story depth. Include a memorable villain to make the story compelling.