7/12/25 update: as long as Lila stays stable over the weekend, she’ll go in for an MRI and Surgery on Monday 7/14. Waiting on the formal estimate for the costs, but the vet estimated to expect around $13,000 in costs associated with MRI, Anesthesia and Surgery. All donations here will go directly to her care.

Her MRI and Surgery will be performed at Guardian Veterinary Specialists in Brewster, NY.

Our beloved 5-year-old French Bulldog, Lila, is facing a critical medical challenge. She’s suffering from an Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) flare that’s left her with pain, loss of motor senses, and decreased mobility in her back right leg. Despite medications, crate rest (4 weeks and counting) and everything we’ve tried, her mobility hasn’t returned — and now she needs advanced imaging and likely spinal surgery to have a chance at recovery.

We’ve already spent thousands on conservative treatments, including laser therapy (3x per week) and medication, and most recently made the hard decision to move Lila to our wonderful dog sitter’s home so she could recover without the chaos of two toddlers and our other dog, Leo. This latest episode has been different — her condition hasn’t improved (and she’s now suffering muscle loss from the crate rest), the only real path forward is probable surgery and extensive post-op care like physical therapy, mobility support, and rehab.

We have pet insurance, but it won’t cover everything — the first step is the MRI (which alone costs thousands)

Then TBD to the rest of the plan but if it comes to it;

Insurance should cover some of the surgery and anesthesia costs, but none of the aftercare Lila will need to walk again.

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Why Lila Means So Much to Us

Lila came home to us in 2019 — just one day before we lost my beloved papa. In a moment of deep grief, she was the bright light we didn’t know we needed. Her presence gave us purpose, comfort, and more love than we could have imagined.

Since then, she’s been with us through every big life moment. When we brought our kids home, she immediately stepped into her role as their protector and “dog sister.” During every midnight feed, Lila was right there, curled up by their sides. She’s grown up with our family, and our toddlers lovingly call her their “sister.” Lately, they’ve been saying, “We miss our sister Lila — when can she come home?”

We just want to give her that chance — to come home, to walk and play again, to be part of the chaos and cuddles she loves so much.

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How You Can Help

We’ve done everything we can to manage this ourselves, but the next steps are simply more than we can handle alone. Every dollar raised will go directly toward:

• Her MRI and surgical costs

• Post-operative care and physical therapy

• Mobility aids and rehab to help her regain function

If you’ve ever met Lila, you know how much love and warmth she gives. If you feel called to support her healing, we’d be so deeply grateful. Every bit — every share, every kind word, every donation — brings us closer to giving Lila her life back.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

❤️

Heather & Brett