Hi! My name is Dana and I am a momma to a 7 year-old French bulldog girl, Lucy, This little girl stole my heart from the moment I adopted her in December 2017. I am starting this fundraiser because I need help with her surgical costs - she needs surgery on her skull. This will be a long intro, but I felt it necessary to be as transparent as possible. I have a hard time asking for help, and appreciate any help that anyone can give.

Lucy started showing some weird signs of balance issues last year. We initially chalked it up to her being clumsy and tripping over her small feet when she ran in the yard. But, it became apparent over the next several months that it probably wasn't clumsiness; she started to "knuckle" on her front paws (knuckling is a neurological condition that causes a dog to walk on the top of its paws or knuckles instead of its pads). To say we were concerned is an understatement.

This past January Lucy received X-rays at our local vet's office, and our worst fears were confirmed; her cervical spine was in bad shape. We first thought she was suffering from intervertebral disc disease (a.k.a. IVDD - caused by the degeneration of one or more of the discs that separate the vertebrae, which act as cushioning between the bones). Our vet recommended that she get an MRI to accurately diagnose her issues so we could come up with a treatment plan.

So, I set up an appointment this past July with a veterinary neurologist. Based on her exam, she also said we needed to get an MRI to accurately diagnose Lucy's issues. She noted IVDD was a possibility, but that there may also be other neurological issues going on with her brain. The vet said it would be best to address any surgical needs at the same time of her MRI to reduce the risks associated with putting her under general anesthesia. Brachycephalic breeds like Lucy are prone to all kinds of risks and issues when they go under for surgery.

I was finally able to come up with the funds to pay for her MRI. They are very expensive, and I spent almost $5.000. Lucy had her MRI appointment yesterday, 8/14/24. They also opted to do a spinal tap at the time to see what, if anything else, may be going on. Long story short - Lucy has some severe neurological issues that are greatly affecting her quality of life. She was diagnosed with the following:

1) Chiari-Like Malformation; it is a mismatch in skull and brain size, with the brain being too large and the skull too small. It has compressed the cerebellum and brainstem. There is also a band of connective tissue pressing on the top of her spinal cord at the junction of her C1-C2 vertebrae.

2) Syringomyelia (severe C2 - T1); bony/ligament changes which caused a buildup of fluid within her spinal cord. There is almost no normal spinal cord tissue left within her neck.

3) Severe middle ear infection; this caused a weird head tilt that the neuro vet noted during our first visit. Otitis interna can be a serious condition because it's close to vital nerves and can lead to incoordination, hearing loss, and meningitis if the infection spreads to the brain. This was also contributing to her balance issues. We’re currently treating her with antibiotics and steroids in hopes it completely resolves this particular issue.

These are all very serious conditions. The only option to give Lucy a chance at a better quality of life is surgery. This would entail a surgical decompression of the back of her skull and top of her C1-2 spinal cord (foramen magnum decompression - basically removing a piece of her skull). The goal of this surgery is to relieve the excessive pressure around her brain and spinal cord to allow more normal spinal fluid flow. We would not expect any improvement in her current level of weakness and incoordination, rather our hope would be to prevent further deterioration. BUT, surgery will cost another $10,000 to $14,000 on top of the MRI costs. I am terrified. I don't have this money to pay for her surgery and she desperately needs this. I don't want to risk her becoming paralyzed, and am praying so hard that we can get her surgery soon.

Your donations will provide Lucy with the best care possible for all of these issues. Would you be able to help with a donation? I thank all of you reading this for any help you can provide. It really means everything to us! Please also share this to help reach a wider audience.