On Sunday morning February 8th, 2026 we found out that our French Bulldog, Spunky developed the dreaded illness, IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease a spinal condition where the cushioning discs between vertebrae bulge or rupture (herniate), pressing on the spinal cord.) Within hours he became paralyzed and unable to use his hind legs.

After taking him to a nearby emergency clinic, we were told our best option to prevent further paralysis, and pain was to rush to UC Davis (about 2 hours away from us) where they had an on-call neurosurgeon that could perform the surgery. They found two herniated disks along with a good amount of debris from the rupture. The surgeons also performed some preventative measures on his other disks to alleviate future injury. While the surgery was overall successful that same night, we were faced with other issues after the surgery. The morning after the surgery 2/9, the doctor called and expressed the major concerns and the condition that Spunky was in and said it would be a good idea to spend some moments with him.

Spunky was having severe respiratory issues, on top of developing an infection in his lungs due to aspirating after the surgery. After placing him in an oxygen tank over night after the surgery, he had to be placed on forced oxygen in order to get the adequate amounts of oxygen in to facilitate the healing process. He was then immediately placed on a heavy dose of antibiotics through an IV. There was a moment that the doctors were afraid that the forced oxygen would not be successful and that the infection in his lungs would worsen causing him to become septic. We almost lost our sweet boy.

As a few days passed, Spunky made an amazing comeback. The neurology tests that were preformed right after the surgery showed little to no signs of feeling coming back to his legs but then started to show good progress after the 3rd day. The level of oxygen that was being administered was also decreased.

Spunky, spent an entire week in the ICU under constant monitoring, pain management, and specialized care. Watching him go through this was heartbreaking, but true to his Frenchie spirit, he has been incredibly brave and strong. He is home with us now and is projected to make a full recovery, this can vary from 6-9 months.

While we are beyond grateful that Spunky made it through surgery, the financial burden has been overwhelming. Between emergency diagnostics, surgery, ICU hospitalization, medications, and ongoing care, the medical bills have reached $25,000.

We are humbly asking for help to manage this unexpected expense. The journey is long, but our boy is worth it. Any donation, no matter the amount, would mean more than we can express. If you’re unable to give, sharing Spunky’s story would mean just as much.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our brave little fighter. We hope our story about Spunky, can encourage other pet parents to take the leap of faith if ever faced with such an unexpected series of unfortunate events. Your support, prayers, and kindness mean everything to us and to Spunky as he continues his recovery journey.

With love,

Edalyn and Johnny