Help Charlie Walk Again: Support His Recovery

Help My Sweet Boy Charlie Walk Again

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out with a heavy heart to share what’s happened to my sweet little angel, Charlie. Late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, Charlie’s life changed in an instant.

When I left for work around 9 p.m., he was perfectly fine, happy, and healthy. But when I came home around 2:30 a.m., I noticed something was wrong. He was panting heavily and moving his neck strangely. At first, since he was laying in bed, I didn’t realize how serious it was. A few hours later, I found him unable to move, trying to get up but his back legs weren’t working.

I rushed him to the emergency hospital, where they told me it was likely a spinal obstruction. Charlie had no feeling in his back legs — completely paralyzed. The pain medication they gave wouldn’t help because there was no sensation left. They said his only hope was to see a neurologist immediately.

After rushing him to the specialist, we learned the devastating news: Charlie was diagnosed with Grade 5 IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) — the most severe stage. The neurologist said emergency surgery was the only option to save his life. Without it, he wouldn’t make it. Even with surgery, his chance of walking again was slim — less than 10% — because he had lost all feeling in his legs.

They performed the surgery and discovered two slipped discs and fluid causing severe bruising on his spine — it was so bad that his spinal cord had turned purple from the damage. The surgery alone cost over $13,000.

But today, we got a miracle: Charlie has regained feeling in both his back legs! He still can’t move them, but this tiny bit of progress gives us hope. We now have a long journey ahead — Charlie will need extensive physical therapy, 4-5 days a week, for potentially a year or longer. His muscles have completely deteriorated, and it will take everything we have to help him learn to walk again.

Charlie is a fighter. I truly believe he deserves a chance to live a happy, normal life again — to run, play, and be the joyful little dog he’s always been.

I’m humbly asking for help to give Charlie that chance. Anything you can give will go directly toward his medical bills, rehab, and everything needed to give him the best shot at recovery.

Thank you so much for reading, sharing, and supporting us through this heartbreaking journey. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you all.

— Michelle