Pup’s life-saving spine surgery funding plea
A FAMILY who took in a rescue dog have launched a desperate mission to save the pup’s life.
Leah Davis is appealing for the public’s help to raise thousands of pounds to pay for lifesaving spinal surgery for her pet, Coco.
The caring 30-year-old found the extra large American Bully locked in a kennel on an abandoned travellers’ site.
The starving pooch was in a terrible condition, suffering from mange, dehydration and had infections in both her eyes and ears.
Leah and her family took Coco into their Leigh Park home and have been nursing the dog back to health since they rescued it two months ago.
She said: ‘She was in a really bad way, she was really really scared, she was starved, covered in mange, had really long toenails and was in a lot of pain. When we first got her she would just hide in the corner.’
The six-month-old pooch has had to be hand-fed, pumped with antibiotics to get rid of the infections in her eyes and ears, and, at one stage, had to be carried to most places because she could not hold up her own weight.
It took the family over a week to get Coco to eat and they spent days syringe feeding her with water and puppy milk to get her strength and weight up.
When they found her she was 20kg, but they have put her weight up to 26kg in the two months they have had her.
Leah added: ‘It is just awful, I just don’t understand it, I really don’t. She was using her front legs and extending them out to hold herself up.’
The family thought she was on track for a successful recovery, until the pup started crying out in pain again.
After taking her to the vets, it was discovered that she had an old spinal fracture that had started to get worse.
Leah said they were all ‘devastated’ when they found out, but are now on a mission to help save their dog’s life.
The GoFundMe page that has been set up has a target of £3,000 which is for a CT scan so that they can understand the extent of the damage of the fracture.
They have been looking at estimations of spinal operations on dogs and there have been quotes as high as £5,000.
The fundraiser has been active for just over two days, and has raised almost £1,500 – leaving the family shocked and overwhelmed at the response.
Leah said: ‘It has been amazing. A lot of the people that have donated are not even from England.’
The family has said the fundraiser is their last hope and that they have exhausted all other options to save Coco.
If the cash drive is unsuccessful, it will result in the pup being put down because she is ‘in so much pain’ which is only being managed with medication currently.
To support the campaign, visit: gofundme.com/f/ mm5vuz-cocos-surgery