Oy, what a week. Where do I even begin? My absence the last two days on the blog might not have felt too strange given my recent lighter posting schedule, but boy, was there a lot happening behind the scenes over here. Tuesday morning, I took Lucy out for our usual romp around Central Park, and snapped the picture above as we took a break from running around and ‘squirrel hunting.’ Little did I know what would happen just a few hours later.
On Tuesday night, Lucy suddenly developed a slipped disc in her spine, causing immediate paralysis in her front legs and near total paralysis in her back legs. Her scream and reaction when it happened were absolutely terrifying; at first, we thought she was having a seizure based on how stiff she became and how badly she was shaking (probably from how intense the pain was). This sounds dramatic, but believe me when I say I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way she screamed…it was really awful.
We rushed her off to the emergency room, at the time not knowing what the cause of her paralysis was. Because it was late enough at night, they didn’t have a team in place to do an MRI to confirm that it was a slipped disc, or where it was in her back. We had to leave her at the vet hospital’s ICU on Tuesday night, paralyzed and extremely scared — cue me sobbing the entire walk home. We were honestly terrified she might not make it through the night. The vet had warned us that because of where the suspected slipped disc was and the severity of her paralysis, they knew it was also in an area of the spinal cord that controlled breathing, so they were afraid she might lose her ability to breathe overnight as swelling increased. We didn’t slip a wink, and were dreading a call in the middle of the night.
The next morning, the neurology team arrived early and evaluated her, and recommended she go in for an immediate MRI, and pending the results of that, surgery. We went into meet with the lead surgeon late Wednesday morning, review her MRI results, and give permission for them to operate on her. The procedure involved removing all of the herniated disc material, and while they were in there, they could check and make sure her spinal cord hadn’t been damaged (which would cause permanent paralysis). The surgery started around 11am, and didn’t finish til nearly 5pm — it was a long day for everyone.
Luckily, the surgery went very well and it appears that Lucy won’t have any lasting paralysis. We got to spend time with her at the hospital yesterday in both the morning and evening. She’s pretty exhausted and a little down, but we’re super proud of her — she didn’t seem overly stressed and was mostly just glad to see us and snuggle (though her chill vibe might’ve been her pain meds!). The best news is that she has regained the ability to move all of her limbs, though for now, she can’t stand up on her own and will need a little time and care before she can walk again. Last night during our visit she was trying so, so hard to stand up, and I’m sure she’s very frustrated, but we’re not going to rush her and I take the fact that she’s trying so hard so soon after such an invasive surgery as a positive sign. We’re hoping to bring her home in the next couple of days (we’ll see how she’s doing and what the doctors say), after which she’s going to need a month of “bed rest” before ever so slowly going back to a normal routine. She’ll need some lifestyle changes too — no more stairs, and no more jumping onto or off of things, and she might not be able to rough house with other dogs quite as aggressively. This will help to prevent her from having to undergo another surgery in the future.
The highs have been really high and the lows really low this week. I was absolutely terrified for my girl (she’s my bestie, my love bug!). But seeing how she has gone through all this trauma with such grace and bravery has made me one proud mama. In any case, I wanted to share a little bit about what had been going on with all of you, because it felt really weird to just post Friday links and pretend like it was a normal week — trust me when I say, it was anything but. I’ll post some additional updates about Lucy’s condition on social media as she improves and comes home.
Hope all you have a restful, peaceful weekend, and be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug!
So glad Lucy pulled through! What a brave little pup she is. She’ll be home before you know it! Bed rest can be frustrating as they absolutely have to rest! [Potty breaks are one of the only exceptions] She’ll be a much happier girl when all is said and done though…she’ll get use to her new laid back life style too! Best wishes…sending some Frenchie love your way! xxx
❤Sara
sunny blonde studio
poor lucy! i would have been terrified too. im so glad that she is on the road to recovery tho. xo jillian – cornflake dreams
as a fellow dog mom, this was terrifying to read and I held my breath the whole way through your post! So glad this has a happy ending- sending lots of good thoughts to you and Lucy.
Oh man, I am so, so sorry. I also have a Frenchie, and back injuries have always been a fear of mine–they’re so common! Sending good thoughts, and I hope her recovery goes well!
So sorry to hear about Lucy. I started to tear up a little reading this but I am glad to hear that she will be okay! Lucy is a strong little Frenchie! <3
Oh Victoria, I am so so sorry to hear about poor Lucy. I know exactly how you must feel. Layla our Frenchie had a mast cell tumor about a year ago and waiting to find out the news of whether it had spread to her vital organs was the worst few hours of my life. But you’re so right about how brave these little creatures are. My thoughts are with you and Lucy and I wish her the speediest of recoveries!
So happy to hear she’s doing well! Such a scary and sudden situation…I hope you get to take her home soon! xo
Our 3 year old dog got hit by a car this past spring & it was the most terrifying experience. We definitely thought she wasn’t going to make it but she ended up just needing a plate in her pelvis. Which is enough but fixable. I hug her extra tight now!
Dogs definitely give you scares & I’m glad Miss Lucy is doing okay!
Oh my! Poor Lucy! I am glad she is on the mend and I can’t imagine how terrified you both must have been.I hope she fully recovers as soon as possible. Hugs to your cute little pup!
OMG I can’t imagine!! My sweet little Kon dog had trouble going up and down stairs at one point and one time he screamed so loud I picked him up and carried him all the way home. Luckily it was just growing pains. I hope little Lucy gets better soon!!
Appreciate the update on Lucy. I’ve been checking to see if you posted anything further on IG or here on the blog. What a nightmare. Happy to hear Lucy pulled through. We had a family dog in a similar situation with surgery for a herniated disc. Its a slow recovery and the most frustrating part is that you can’t explain it to the pup when all they want to do is resume their regular activity. Its quite amazing how resilient these little guys are. I too have a frenchie bestie and hugged him a little tighter last night. Your little family is in my thoughts Victoria.
Oh Victoria! I am so sad you had to go through all that, and am especially sad for sweet Lucy. Praying that she gets well soon. xx
Bless her little heart. How awful…for all of you! My Grandma’s minpin just went through something similar and it was not pleasant. I hope she gets the rest that she needs and is back to normal in no time! And I hope you get some shut eye, too. I’ll be sending positive thoughts your way :)
Pauvre petite Lucie. Meilleurs vœux de rétablissement de Paris. J’imagine que l’attente avant d’être sûr qu’elle allait mieux a dû être terrible.
Oh no!!! I have two Dachshunds and TOTALLY know the fear of this for your fur-baby! SO SO glad it sounds like she is recovering – I can only imagine! <3
So glad to hear she’s alright! We’ve had some health scares with our dog as well and it’s so frightening when they can’t tell you what’s going on. Here’s to a speedy, healthy recovery!
That is so terrifying! Thank goodness she’s doing okay. Believe me when I say I understand being obsessed with your dog! It’s so scary when something happens to your fur baby. So glad she pulled through!
xx
Catherine
Oh my gosh! I can’t even imagine how scary that must have been for all of you! Sending lots of positive thoughts to you and and your sweet pup!
So sorry to hear that – I can’t imagine how terrifying that would be to see your dog in pain and feel so helpless :(. I’m very happy that she made it through surgery successfully, and am sending positive healing thoughts to your Lucy!
Oh my gosh, how scary! I’m glad to hear she’s doing well and recovering with lots of love and cuddles. <3
Oh, poor Lucy, so scary! I’m glad to hear that she’s doing better and I hope she recovers quickly. I hope you guys are doing ok too!
I am so sorry to hear about Lucy’s traumatic week!! Glad that things are look up. I just became a doggy mom to a French Bulldog last Saturday and this post brought tears to my eyes. My little guy is already my bestie and can only imagine what it is like to go through that! Keeping Lucy in my thoughts!
What a week! I know she is your baby, so I know its been scary! I’ve been through some scary ordeals with my baby over the last few years and the best thing about them is that they bring you closer to them – when before you couldn’t imagine that you could love them more! I am so glad she will be ok. I’ll continue to pray for healing! Hang in there!
Poor Lucy :( Hopefully she’ll regain full mobility and be able to walk on her own soon, but if she doesn’t (or has a relapse), definitely look into dog acupuncture. My parents’ beloved poodle had a similar issue last year, but was too old for surgery. He went from not being able to move at all to walking again after just two or three treatments. My parents are so, so not into alternative medicine, but after I showed them studies that showed acupuncture’s efficacy, they decided to give it a try. They were so happy they did.
Aww I’m so sorry you and poor Lucy had to go through this! My friend’s frenchie had the same issue years ago….apparently it’s very common among this breed. I’m happy to report that she is very mobile to this day! The only downside is that she can no longer go to the dog park for fear that she’ll play too hard and experience the same issue. Still a very happy and loving pup though :)
Kristin
Oh Victoria! How terrifying! I will be sending good thoughts for a speedy recovery for little Lucy. Our dog recently stepped on glass in the street and when I saw blood coming from his paws by heart lurched so I can only imagine how you feel! xx
I’m so sorry to hear this!! I truly can’t even imagine how horrific this experience was for everyone!! I’m so thankful that it’s the road to recovery she’s on!!! Sending lots of healing thoughts and love your direction!! xo becca
Sending you, Lucy and the hubs lots of love. It’s terrifying when our pets get injured. I’m thrilled to hear that she pulled through the surgery and is already on the mend. Take care of that sweet girl!
Sending positivity, blessings and rest to you all. Lucy is such the trooper. She has many fans who love her along with her family. God speed in healing.
The whole time I was reading this I kept circling back to how horrific this would feel if it was one of my own pups. I am SO sorry that you guys had to experience this. Sending you lots of get well vibes for a speedy recovery & many, many more snuggle sessions with your furbestie to come. xx
Awww. Take care of that little baby! I’m glad she’s recovering.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this story. That must have been so scary. Glad she pulled through.
<3
katsfashionfix.blogspot.com
I’m soooo sorry to hear this, but YAY Lucy (!!!) for being such a brave girl. Please keep us posted on her recovery. As a fellow dog lover, my thoughts are with you. Big, big hugs. I know this is a difficult time.
I completely understand how scary this must have been! so glad to hear she is on her way to recovery!!
x Lily
whilemyboyfriendsaway.blogspot.com
Hi Victoria. I’m so very, very sorry to hear about Lucy. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. We went through it with our Frenchie, Kizzy, about two years ago. I can still hear those screams – it was horrible. So yes you’re right, you’ll never forget them…unfortunately. I’m so glad to hear she pulled through surgery, and it sounds like she’s well on her way to recovery! It’s a complete lifestyle change, but she will continue to get stronger. Frenchies are most certainly stubborn and tenacious! And I’m pretty sure having that personality is what got Kizzy through and will get Lucy through it too! Big Hugs and hang in there. Kizzy sends sloppy Frenchie kisses to Lucy!
poor lucy!!!prayers!!