Samantha Knight
MERRY CHRISTMAS from one survivor of a pup to another ...
MERRY CHRISTMAS from one survivor of a pup to another ... In keeping with my tradition I am once again ditching Christmas Cards in favour...
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The Long Road Back to the Beach; Together we WILL make it
Against the odds
A heart breaking diarised account of a very brave French Bulldog and his courageous mum. An unbreakable bond challenged by such unfathomable pain and illness from cancer to IVDD Grade 5. Can the trials of life be beaten time and time again by the simple power of love? - against the odds.
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Saving Lloris; One day at a time
Our Story …
This blog is a diarised account of the 72 days of spinal surgery rehabilitation of one very special French Bulldog who has been left paralysed in his back legs following a diagnosis of IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) Grade 5.
Will he walk again?
Following his journey you could say 3yr old Lloris the French Bulldog has been the unluckiest puppy dog to grace the earth but I’m sure there are a million more tear jerking stories to challenge this one. All I will say, is life has not come easy to this pooch and I can only believe it to be the shear volume of love and positivity around him that keeps his journey going when at times it really has seemed as if it is the end.
When Lloris first came home from the regions ‘super vet’ hospital on 9th February 2022, I searched the internet for stories of success and tips and advice on what to expect and how to handle the slow road of recovery but I found very little out there other than the stark facts that a grade 5 IVDD (spinal injury) patient had a mere 50/60 % chance of being able to walk again and could take 9months… and that has given me nothing to gauge any kind of level of hope. I am just heart broken and numb with disbelief.
Friends and family ask me daily how it’s all going. Some really wanting to know the answer and others playing lip service to a situation they believe I could decide to ‘resolve’ myself if only I would see some sense. But I’m in too deep with this little boy. I made a commitment to him so here we go, I’m all in, we’re both all in ….
It’s just the two of us and together we are embarking on the long and very slow Road to Recovery or what I prefer to tell Lloris… “We’re on our journey back to those woods and bouncing on those beaches. You will see those days again and this is day 1 of getting there- chin up”.
I hope for anyone else facing this journey with their furry friend who they cannot even give thought to life without them … that our story brings some reality to the hardest of stages, but offers at least some tips in getting through the darkest of nights, some amusement in the daily frustrations, shares the guilt and the contemplation of decisions we can’t bear to say we thought of. You are not alone, take what you can from our story and I have everything crossed this journey will end as a story of hope to others - I really do! But this is early days and I would certainly not wish to temp fate! There really is nothing more scary than the unknown.
All I can promise is that I will keep going unless he tells me otherwise.
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Samantha Knight
My English Dragon
Happy St George’s Day! Whilst of course the French Bulldog originates from FRANCE and my baby boy has even been given a french name -...
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National Bulldogs are Beautiful Day - 21st April 2022
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I am overwhelmed that we find ourselves here so very soon. It has been an emotional day! When I initially embarked on writing this blog...
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Extinction of the French Bulldog
I wasn’t intending on writing for our blog today. Was going to let the excitement build for the ‘Wrap Party’ tomorrow, but I have...
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Day 72: Mission Accomplished 🏆🥇🎉🍾
I’ve been giving this thought all week. Is he ready for a little run on the beach?! It’s a hard judgement call to make and of course the...
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Day 71: 10 weeks post IVDD Surgery / 4 weeks post Mass Cell Tumours Removal Surgery
Wow! I can’t believe it has been 10 weeks already since that terrible night whereby my baby boy ended up paralysed. The sound of his...
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Day 70: The Then & Now
It dawns on me as I’m filming Lloris on our mornings walk, that in all honesty I've lost my perspective on his progress. I can’t actually...
Samantha Knight
Day 69: Spray the Champagne… He’s 5 Days Dry ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
If you would have asked me just last week if I thought Lloris was any closer to controlling his double incontinence I would have started...
Samantha Knight
Day 68: Oh The Stench!
I have been full of cold for well over a week now and my sense of smell has still not returned …. Until about 2pm today! Lloris has...
Samantha Knight
Day 67: This Boy is on Fire 🔥
Sometimes it only needs the disappointed glare and tone of a mother to be enough to make you ‘pull your socks up‘ and strive to do...
Samantha Knight
Day 66: Stuck in a Rut
For a number of weeks now Lloris has been able to walk unaided. For this I count my lucky stars everyday! Prior to the set back of his...
Samantha Knight
Day 65: Lucky No.8
My lucky number is no 8. Not that it has actually proved overly lucky for me really when I think about it, nor is it a number that keeps...
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Day 64: Flying Solo
The sun is shining this morning and it’s mild out, so there is no excuse for the unwelcomed poop on his rug first thing. This only goes...
Samantha Knight
Day 63: The Cling-on
Whilst spending all of this extra time with my beautiful baby boy has been most welcomed and a necessity over the past couple of months...
Samantha Knight
Day 62: Running a Marathon! … well as good as!
I have left Lloris in the safe hands of his grandparents today and am suggesting they maybe take him out for a little walk as I’ve not...
Samantha Knight
Day 61: Lloris makes for a Terrible Nurse!
For the past few days I have progressively felt worse each day with symptoms such as a painfully sore throat, headache, body ache, fever...
Samantha Knight
Day 60: Assessing Lloris’s Stride
The sun is shining, for a few moments at least, so a good opportunity to get outside for a short walk on both concrete and grass to see...
Samantha Knight
Day 59: Water Baby
With Lloris unable to attend hydrotherapy until his leg wound is fully healed, we instead decide to embark on some ‘home swimming!’ His...
Samantha Knight
Day 58: More Surprise Gifts! The pup is loved ❤️ & a UTI? Maybe?
Exasperated with this constant peeing in the house I have returned to our ’Facebook help group’ to see if anyone else is having the same...
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SpinalThank you for your interest in following Lloris the French Bulldog journey in his recovery from spinal surgery leaving him paralysed.
"The long road back to the beach; together we WILL make it" is designed to encourage us and entertain you.
Feel free to get in touch and I will get back to you soon!
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