Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that my 15-month-old bulldog is very ill, and we need help. I’ve never done anything like this before, and I wouldn’t be doing it now if it weren’t for him. My first bulldog came to me in 2008 and was with me for 12 years. Unfortunately, he suffered from heart failure, and after a nine-month struggle, I had to make the decision to let him go. I mourned for two years before I adopted another little bulldog. When he was two years old, it turned out he had epilepsy and was having seizures. In August 2024, he had epileptic seizures all day long, so I took him to the veterinary hospital, from where I was never able to bring him home again. He didn’t even reach the age of three.

However, I cannot live alone without a dog. So this time I quickly decided that I wanted another puppy. It was very important to me to choose a breeder from whom I was certain I wouldn’t be getting a sick puppy, because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to cope with another sick dog, either financially or emotionally.

I asked lots of breeders who they could recommend, who was truly reliable? After many, many recommendations, I made my decision, and Opál arrived. With a pedigree, a contract and a health guarantee until she was one year old.

Over the past three weeks, however, we’ve been going to the vet constantly because she was in terrible pain. X-rays, lab tests, etc. She even spent several days in the veterinary hospital. She was given steroids continuously for two weeks, and eventually opioid painkillers, as only these provided some relief from her pain. After two weeks, as the steroids unfortunately didn’t help at all, they did a CT scan. They hadn’t done this earlier because it was quite an expensive test for me.

The CT scan revealed that I had a very rare condition that could only be treated surgically, so they stopped using the steroids.

The diagnosis: atlanto-axial subluxation.

This means that his pain can only be alleviated through surgery, but this condition is so rare that the first question was whether we could find a doctor willing to perform the operation. During the operation, a custom implant is created based on CT scans to stabilise the first and second vertebrae, so that the second vertebra does not press on the spinal cord and does not sever it with a single wrong movement.

The operation is very risky, as the spinal cord and the brain are very close to the affected area.

Opál has been completely immobilised for the past three weeks; she is in immense pain, for which she is receiving opioid painkillers, and has lost 6 kilos in three weeks. She is in constant and immediate danger of death, as a single wrong movement could cause her vertebrae to sever the spinal cord.

The breeder says I should have her put down, because the implant and the surgery are terribly expensive, and in his opinion it isn’t worth it. He won’t pay compensation, because according to our contract the health guarantee is valid until the age of one, and Opál is now 15 months old.

However, I simply cannot look my 15-month-old puppy in the eye and tell him, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t afford it,’ so I will do everything I can to raise the money needed for the operation.

Especially as she has the best temperament of my three bulldogs. She is incredibly friendly and patient, and very, very clever. She seems to think that the whole world, and every person in it, exists solely to be her friend and playmate.

So far, I have spent around €1,500 on his examinations and treatment (X-rays, blood tests, CT scans, veterinary and hospital care). The spinal surgery, including the custom implant and post-operative check-ups, would cost around €3,000 in total, which, as a single ‘bulldog mum’, I cannot afford on top of what I’ve already spent.

Opál has pet insurance, but as soon as I started sending the invoices to the insurer, the pet insurance policy curiously disappeared from the online portal where I had previously paid, and I was informed that her insurance had been cancelled. Naturally, I lodged a complaint and am currently awaiting further developments regarding this matter.

Unfortunately, even if we were to get through this operation successfully, he would still need two further operations costing around €2,300.

One of these would be an operation affecting both eyes, as his eyes are currently ulcerated due to his eyelids turning inwards.

In addition, the cruciate ligaments in both his knees have torn due to patellar dislocation.

Even the smallest amount of help would mean a great deal to us. Of course, I can show anyone the test results, medical records and invoices to date.