On 9/2/25, our 5 year old Frenchie, Remy, was diagnosed with severe IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease)-an extremely painful and life-threatening condition. Remy was doing nothing unusual on this day and had his normal routine of playing in the backyard with supervision. However, either due to stress, movement, or genetic predisposition, he injured his spine. Within the span of hours, Remy completely lost his ability to walk, urinate, have a bowel movement, or use his back legs.

Since he was a puppy, my family has taken every precaution we could think of to give him a happy and healthy Frenchie life. We've modified our home furniture, installed dog ramps, provided joint supplements, utilized dog strollers- all adjustments made to best support his anatomy. But even with all the years of modifications made, he still ended up with severe IVDD.

He was seen by a neurologist who gave us heartbreaking two options. Either elect to do the surgery with the risk of aspiration pneumonia or wait until aspiration is not a risk but miss the window to save his legs from paralysis and ultimately his life. For our family, letting Remy go was never an option, so we made the difficult decision to undergo the surgery. Remy had the hemilaminectomy on his mid back and we are so grateful that this surgery ended up being completed with no complications. However, it has only been successful at alleviating his pain, and Remy still has a very long journey ahead of him while he heals and regains his ability to walk.

We are so incredibly lucky that Remy has been discharged from the hospital and has come home to us. But the cost of his surgery and 5-day hospital stay total an amount of $16,613. We are sure that in his next stage of recovery, his medical bills will surpass that amount. Even with the projected help from Remy's pet insurance, the total cost has overwhelmed our family. However, this decision has given us more time with Remy and provided him the much needed comfort from the excruciating pain his severe IDD was causing. Unfortunately, his recovery journey will take months, if not up to a whole year of rehabilitation, medications, and appointments.

We want nothing more but to give Remy every chance at healing and to be able to walk, run, play and live his life to the fullest again. If you have the ability to donate, any amount will make a meaningful difference. Thank you so much for your support in helping Remy heal. And if you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this post with others to still give our family the best chance to provide Remy with the recovery he deserves.

With gratitude,

Remy’s humans (The Aguila Family)