- M
- B
Six and a half years ago, a French bulldog by the name of Stitch found his forever home with the third person to take him in. The first two families who owned him couldn't and wouldn't put in the time to deal with his behavioral issues and idiosyncracies, but I never gave up on the little guy and with some work and lots of love, he got over most of his issues, became the best snuggle bug ever, and took up residence in a huge place in my heart.
In February I took Stitch to the vet for what seemed to be back pain. He had stopped jumping up on furniture and seemed to have slowed down quite a bit considering he'd always had a puppy energy to him. After examining him, the vet diagnosed him as having thrown out his back and sent him home with some medication. The medication seemed to do the trick for a couple of weeks; he got the pep in his step back and seemed to be himself again. Then, when the meds ran out, he relapsed. I took him back to the vet who took an X-Ray of his back and saw some spinal compression. She recommended he get an MRI to determine what kind of condition he might have. She had speculated it might be IVDD, a condition that affects lots of dogs but one from which many bounce back. Two days later, as I was getting ready to take him in for a second opinion, his little back legs stopped working altogether. The second vet scheduled him for a CT scan and Stitch was checked in to the hospital that day. I thought the worst that could happen was that he would need surgery to correct the compression and that he would have a long recovery time. Little did I know my world was about to be shattered.
The CT scan revealed that the compression was caused by a tumor that has fused itself with his vertebrae. Because the tumor is now part of his spine, it cannot be completely removed. He did respond to steriods that were administered as soon as he was admitted into the hospital and he was walking again, although a bit wobbly. At that point my options were: do nothing except palliative care, in which case he might have a month left, or operate to remove what could be removed of the tumor, continue palliative care and spoil him, in which case he would have more like 2 to 3 months. The vet didn't see a reason to put him down yet and said if it were his dog he'd opt for the second. Not being ready to say goodbye to my best friend, that's what I did.
On March 19th, Stitch had surgery to remove the tumor and alleviate the compression on his spine. He came home the next day and has been recovering like a champ. He's not allowed to run around, I have to carry him up and down the stairs of my second story apartment so he can take of nature's call, and he gets meds twice a day. The meds make him super thirsty so we have to make many trips up and down the stairs, and while he was indignant about being carried at first, he's finally accepted that he's not in charge, which is huge for a stubborn bulldog. He snuggles with me, gives me kisses and continues to bring me joy.
The tumor is definitely malignant and will eventually take my little buddy from me, but for now I am caring for him, spoiling him rotten and enjoying every minute he and I have left together. For his part, Stitch is probably uncomfortable with the healing incision on his back, but I can tell he's happy to be home with me and enjoying all the extra treats.
I'm fortunate enough to have a good supportive group of friends around me who have helped me considerably, including one person who put almost $9000 on a personal credit card to pay for his vet bill. I do have pet insurance for Stitch, but at the most all they'll refund is $5000. I am asking for help to raise money to pay back the balance of his surgery, etc and to help cover some future costs. It will be such a relief not to have to stress about financial matters while simultaneously caring for the little guy.
Stitch is turning 8 years old on April 26th and while he's getting up there in Frenchie years, I was looking forward to many more years of goofy moments and sloppy bulldog kisses. Now that I know I won't get that, I want to focus my energy on making him as comfortable and happy as possible, and with the right care, hopefully the "2 to 3 months" can turn into more.
Thank you in advance for your help. Stitch and I are both so grateful for all the support we've received and continue to receive.
In February I took Stitch to the vet for what seemed to be back pain. He had stopped jumping up on furniture and seemed to have slowed down quite a bit considering he'd always had a puppy energy to him. After examining him, the vet diagnosed him as having thrown out his back and sent him home with some medication. The medication seemed to do the trick for a couple of weeks; he got the pep in his step back and seemed to be himself again. Then, when the meds ran out, he relapsed. I took him back to the vet who took an X-Ray of his back and saw some spinal compression. She recommended he get an MRI to determine what kind of condition he might have. She had speculated it might be IVDD, a condition that affects lots of dogs but one from which many bounce back. Two days later, as I was getting ready to take him in for a second opinion, his little back legs stopped working altogether. The second vet scheduled him for a CT scan and Stitch was checked in to the hospital that day. I thought the worst that could happen was that he would need surgery to correct the compression and that he would have a long recovery time. Little did I know my world was about to be shattered.
The CT scan revealed that the compression was caused by a tumor that has fused itself with his vertebrae. Because the tumor is now part of his spine, it cannot be completely removed. He did respond to steriods that were administered as soon as he was admitted into the hospital and he was walking again, although a bit wobbly. At that point my options were: do nothing except palliative care, in which case he might have a month left, or operate to remove what could be removed of the tumor, continue palliative care and spoil him, in which case he would have more like 2 to 3 months. The vet didn't see a reason to put him down yet and said if it were his dog he'd opt for the second. Not being ready to say goodbye to my best friend, that's what I did.
On March 19th, Stitch had surgery to remove the tumor and alleviate the compression on his spine. He came home the next day and has been recovering like a champ. He's not allowed to run around, I have to carry him up and down the stairs of my second story apartment so he can take of nature's call, and he gets meds twice a day. The meds make him super thirsty so we have to make many trips up and down the stairs, and while he was indignant about being carried at first, he's finally accepted that he's not in charge, which is huge for a stubborn bulldog. He snuggles with me, gives me kisses and continues to bring me joy.
The tumor is definitely malignant and will eventually take my little buddy from me, but for now I am caring for him, spoiling him rotten and enjoying every minute he and I have left together. For his part, Stitch is probably uncomfortable with the healing incision on his back, but I can tell he's happy to be home with me and enjoying all the extra treats.
I'm fortunate enough to have a good supportive group of friends around me who have helped me considerably, including one person who put almost $9000 on a personal credit card to pay for his vet bill. I do have pet insurance for Stitch, but at the most all they'll refund is $5000. I am asking for help to raise money to pay back the balance of his surgery, etc and to help cover some future costs. It will be such a relief not to have to stress about financial matters while simultaneously caring for the little guy.
Stitch is turning 8 years old on April 26th and while he's getting up there in Frenchie years, I was looking forward to many more years of goofy moments and sloppy bulldog kisses. Now that I know I won't get that, I want to focus my energy on making him as comfortable and happy as possible, and with the right care, hopefully the "2 to 3 months" can turn into more.
Thank you in advance for your help. Stitch and I are both so grateful for all the support we've received and continue to receive.