Please help Louie get his legs back!

Hi, my name is Maggie, but more importantly, meet Louie... he's our 2-year-old rescue pug. I'm not thrilled to have to ask for help, but I've burned through most of my savings already, and I want my baby to walk again. He's been diagnosed with a congenital defect due to poor breeding practices. When we rescued him, he was very underweight, but according to his documents and the vet check, he was a healthy 7-month-old pug. This was not the case, unfortunately.

On the 17th of June, he woke me up with very loud panting and crying. I assumed he was overheated, so I brought him down, and we went outside to cool down. I wiped him down with tepid water, but even after cooling him off, his hind legs were totally limp. He couldn't walk, and he couldn't evacuate. I took him to the vet that day; they told me that while he had very poor tone, they would do some blood work and see how it looked ... his blood seemed to be fine, with the exception of elevated inflammatory markers. I brought him home with medication and instructions for him to rest, but I was very concerned, as he was still just barely evacuating.

By Friday, his abdomen was distended and very hard. There was a brown liquid leaking from his bladder, so we returned to the vet. She (the Vet) took an X-ray of his spine and abdominal cavity ,and the prognosis was grim. His bladder and bowels were totally backed up, and his bladder was on the verge of rupture. They used a catheter to drain almost two liters from his poor little bladder.

The vet said that it wouldn't be fair to him to live like this, and we needed

to discuss euthanasia. I couldn't fathom it at that moment and asked for his first of many laser (PBM/LLLT) treatments. I then brought him home to his family for what we thought might be our last weekend together. It was really just sad. I had to catheterize him three times daily, but something incredible happened after that very first laser treatment... he briefly stood to evacuate his bowels! His tail wagged, and he did it all by himself! We decided then that we needed to either get a second opinion or make sure the vet understands that unless he's suffering and in constant pain, we will NOT euthanize him because he's disabled. Louie suffers from two conditions; the first being Hemivertebrae, and the second being Constrictive Myelopathy. There's an operation that could potentially restore the use of his legs, but the total minimum cost is $12,000. They would remove the malformed vertebrae in the thoracic region and repair his spine using some pins and fusion.

I'd also like his story to serve as a PSA for anyone considering getting a Pug, Frenchie, or any flat-faced or curly-tailed pup (Louie was a rescue, so we would have adopted him regardless, but for those wanting to purchase: PLEASE, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

We have a 14-year-old pug, Tyrion; we did a LOT of homework before we adopted him (lineage, genetic testing results), and aside from his old age and some knee issues (and a violent hatred for nail trims), he has ALWAYS been an extremely healthy dog. No breathing issues; his nostrils are three times the size of Louie's, and he barely snores, even at 14. Just a little rumble here and there... it's just sad that people breed these dogs without first checking for these genetic issues.

While I'm hoping little Louie will regain use of his legs, I did order him a little wheel cart the day after it all happened, and he loves it, but he only has a few minutes in it per day because he is still recovering and needs to rest. Because of all this, I've essentially depleted my savings to date because, as we all know, vet bills aren't cheap. His pet insurance refuses to cover any of the expenses, so this will be/has been all out of pocket for our family.

We have already had one serious (human) family illness, which caused us to use all we had saved (over the last two years as a second income), which is why I'm here today. I've already been so humbled and had my heart warmed and filled by the people who have expressed an offer to help. Thank you to everyone near and far for the prayers, encouraging words, and love sent. It means so much. Whether

you are in a position to help or not, please pray (or whatever your preference of positivity and good healing vibes) for Louie and a speedy recovery... and a miracle.

Love to all! And thank you in advance for any help and donations; it's appreciated more than you know! Louie is a part of our family, and we can't give up on him living a long, healthy (and very active) life!!

Maggie & Family