Two-year-old Paris arrived at the RSPCA’s Essex South, Southend & District branch in September when her owners could no longer provide her with the care she needed. She was in a lot of pain and discomfort, and appeared lame.

Following a number of vet checks and x-rays we discovered that she was suffering from severe cruciate ligament disease

Her left cruciate (knee) ligament had already ruptured and her right shows signs of severe deterioration. Her previous owners said she’d often appeared lame and had 'sore' back legs but they’d never investigated. Poor Paris must have been in excruciating pain and we have no idea how long she’s been living in this agony.

She is really stiff when she walks and can’t squat properly to go to the toilet. She’s currently on pain relief and we’ve had to restrict her activity while we wait for her surgery date to come round.

She is a young dog with a long life ahead of her so it’s really important that we get her on the mend as quickly as possible so she can live the rest of her days to the full.

We found Paris a foster home and are now trying to raise funds to cover the cost of the major surgery she so desperately needs. Specialist surgery like this can cost upwards of £3,000 but a local orthopedic surgeon has very kindly offered to do it at a discounted price of £1,000.

We’d like to raise £1,500 to pay for the operation as well as some rehabilitative work post-surgery such as hydrotherapy. If we manage to raise any extra then we can put this towards future veterinary costs for Paris as we suspect she will need the other leg operating on in the near future.

£1,500 is a huge amount of money and can take a large chunk out of our funds which is why we’re trying to fundraise to cover these costs separately.

Once Paris has recovered from the surgery she will be looking for a new home. 

She is sweet-natured, affectionate and very friendly. She’s good with other dogs and has lived with children previously.