What started as a lovely family dinner overlooking Lagoon Pond turned into a dark scenario as we watched our little French bulldog named Willow deteriorate physically by the hour. At only two years of age, one wonders what happened to this little ball of fur, always cuddly, and playful. She was scared, panting heavily and stiff as a rock and looking to us to help her. What happened? What to do? At the time we did not know that a ruptured disc was responsible for her extremely painful condition. No amount of Benadryl or baby aspirin seemed to relieve or calm her down, so we made the emergency call to the main service offering on-call veterinarian services on the Island. We were promptly connected to Dr. Kirsten Sauter from My Pets Vet in Vineyard Haven and within five minutes we were en route for the clinic.

Dr. Sauter confirmed we had made the right call and Willow needed professional help and we needed guidance. Within seconds Willow was administered a battery of shots to bring her temperature down, to reduce her rapid panting, to relieve her pain, and hopefully to make her comfortable and sedated enough to handle the voyage to Boston to undergo emergency back surgery. Panicking because she was not calming down, we considered the last possible alternative any pet owner would contemplate when their beloved pet is suffering is too much to bear and a positive outcome to this situation seems unattainable.

Dr. Sauter comforted us and told us to hold on until the medications her little body was receiving take into effect. As we waited, Willow’s heart rate slowed down, her temperature dropped, her panting subsided and she fell into a heavily sedated sleep. Time was now of the essence and we proceeded to take the first boat out from Vineyard Haven with Willow wrapped in a blanket. The staff at the Steamship Authority quickly recognized the situation and accompanied us immediately inside the Martha’s Vineyard as rain was starting to come down on us. In the cabin, the mood was somber and when we left Woods Hole, people wished us and Willow good luck as we made our way up to Boston. In the early Sunday hours, Willow was admitted to Angell Memorial Hospital and off to surgery she went to decompress her spine from the ruptured disk. Unfortunately, French bulldogs are no strangers to back issues but just like their dachshund and basset hound counterparts, not all can be helped, but for all, prevention is key.

Willow is now resting comfortably at home and has regained mobility in her back legs just a day after surgery, a great prognosis so early in her recovery. We have hope, Willow is still very young but today would have not been possible without the incredible help and guidance of Dr. Kirsten Sauter and we are forever grateful that she was there. She was there for Willow and for us in the middle of a night that we will forever remember as the night we almost said goodbye.

Lyle and Aurelie Steere
Oak Bluffs