Help Harper Walk Again: Support Her Rehab

Hi Folks! My name is Christin, and I am posting this for my dear friend (who wishes to remain anonymous) and her sweet and sassy Frenchie mix, Harper (or as I lovingly like to call her, Miss Harpy-Harp)!

Harper just celebrated her fifth birthday and came to my friend (let's call her Harper's Mom) when she was just six weeks old! Their bond was instant (I mean, come on... look at that face), and so Harpy-Harp and her mom, along with Harp's sister, Phoenix, have had five years of incredible adventures together!

Small but mighty, Harper has held her own at the dog park, playing one of her favorite games by acting as a "lure" and baiting other dogs to chase her! She has hiked the trails of the Blue Ridge Mountains with our little crew of human and canine companions, and miraculously schooled us ALL on the trail, maxing out at 9.5 miles in a day (so far)! She has been a source of entertainment in our community, rivaling the "kids say the darndest things" with a "you'll never believe what Harper just did".

Harper makes new friends everywhere she goes and will regularly pick a "new family" at the dog park or brewery, based exclusively on the amount of love that is being doled out. When she is not getting the attention she wants, she puts on her Frenchie sass-hat and straight-up will jump on your lap or your picnic table or in your car... (yes, she really could jump that high) and demand it. And anyone who knows a Frenchie knows that these adorable little monsters pack a punch when it comes to attitude and sass. Harper is no exception...in fact, she's the rule!

But this little ball of energy and joy had a bit of an unfortunate turn in September of 2024, when she developed Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), which led to a ruptured disc that was pressing on her spinal cord. On Monday, September 9th, Harper's Mom noticed that she was shaking and not moving around normally (not playing with her sister as much as normal), so she monitored her. By Tuesday morning, Harper's mom knew something was wrong when she struggled to make it outside for a potty break, having the function of only one of her hind legs. She took Harp to her primary vet that Tues afternoon, and the vet gave her pain medication and said if it got worse, to go straight to the ER. Later that day, it did...

Harper's primary vet referred them to a neurosurgeon at a veterinary emergency facility, where she was diagnosed with IVDD. From there, Harper's mom was given an impossible choice... with less than a few hours to decide. Harper's condition was worsening… swelling from the ruptured disc was pressing on her spinal cord, leading to serious damage and causing poor little Harper incredible pain. The condition would continue to get worse if not treated with emergency neurosurgery (that would cost almost $12,000).

If Harper's mom opted not to have the surgery, they would have to euthanize her… immediately. For any dog-parents out there (like me), you know this is unimaginable, so I will spare you more details.

In less than 36 hours, Harper went from being a crazy, happy, playful four-year-old puppy to being paralyzed in both of her hind legs and having no control of her bladder or bowels.

Now, when I tell you Harper's Mom is an incredible human, I mean it. This woman called me to talk through the details with her and the neurosurgeon because heck... that's a lot to process and take in on your own! So, we talked to the neurosurgeon, asked questions, cried, asked more questions, thought about it, talked about it, cried together, talked about it more, cried some more.

The stats that she was given were this...

• 85% chance that, post-surgery, her condition would worsen over the first week anyway, and she would need to be put down

• 30% chance that she would regain use of her hind legs

These sound like impossible statistics…. but ultimately, Harper's mom decided that she HAD to do the surgery. She said to me, “Even if there is only a 30% chance that she will walk again… I have to give her that chance – I have to give her the chance to fight”.

Her baby was just 4 years old (at the time), was so active, and had a lot of life left to live! So, she busted out that credit card, said a prayer, and went forward with the surgery. After 4 agonizing hours in the waiting room, Harper made it through surgery! Harper's mom was able to visit her very briefly, and then had to leave her at the hospital for 6 more days. Harper was not allowed to move at all, post-surgery, so Harper’s Mom couldn't even go see her to give her loves. Luckily, the team at the animal hospital gave her plenty of cuddles, but wow, that was a hard week!

Once Harper was able to be taken home, she was on strict bed rest and had to be crated and kept separate from her sister so they didn't try to play. This lasted a full month, at which point she was then able to walk around the house, only while having her hind legs held in a sling. She was not able to jump up or down from anything, no running, and no playing with her sister. She had no feeling from the waist down, which also meant no control of her bladder or bowels. Harper's mom had to express her bladder every 3-4 hours every day, and because she had no control of her bowels, she was relieving herself, accidentally, in the house 3-4 times per day. As a single dog-mom of two, having to provide this level of care for one while also trying to provide for the needs of your other pup was, needless to say, an impossible ask. But she made it through that!

After about a month, Harper started wagging her tail, which the vet said was an indication that eventually she could regain use of her legs over time, with rehab. So, Harper’s Mom started rehab! Starting at $50 per session (with some upwards of $215), they started rehab 2x per week! This continued for months, and Harper started to show significant improvement.

However, due to the medical bill costs piling up, rehab became completely cost-prohibitive, and they had to stop. Since then, Harper’s progress has stalled. Her mom desperately wants to get her back in rehab, but there is simply no money left for it…

I am hoping that is where you can help. It took me 8 months to convince Harper’s Mom to let me post this, because she doesn’t want to accept help from people and wants to accomplish everything on her own. She has, and continues to. But no one should feel alone in something this hard. And, everyone should still be encouraged and uplifted by community support. With that, I am asking for you to help in any way you can. No contribution is too little. Any funds raised here will go towards paying off the veterinary bills that have piled up, and towards additional rehabilitation visits so Harper can have the chance to continue to progress! Harper’s mom is committed to doing rehab for a full year (if financially possible), and if that doesn’t work, she will invest in a snazzy wheelchair for Miss Harper Harp.

Thank you so much for reading Harper’s story, and thank you for sharing this with family and friends.