We want to raise money for veterinary fees for Springer Puppy Meg to be pain-free for Christmas, as she has been in pain every single day of her short life. Meg is an ESS puppy and was only 10 months old when she came to Spaniel Assist Rescue and Rehoming (SARR) and placed into foster with me. She had bitten her elderly owner and she was frightened that she would bite her young grandchildren. She approached the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and her own vet to seek help but all told the owner to put Meg to sleep! When I collected Meg she was completely out of control, lacking exercise, training or socialisation. She was so strong on the lead that she had pulled the owner's husband off his feet and hurt him.

During her first month with me she came on really well with lots of exercise and socialisation. But she was intermittently lame on her right hind leg. An X-ray of Meg's spine showed that she has a vertebral anomaly in her lumbar spine which is compressing the sciatic nerve root. My vet felt that it was congenital and that poor Meg could not have had a single pain-free day in her short life. 😢

She is now taking some hefty painkillers including the opiate Gabapentin. She has become a changed dog. She is my little pocket rocket and I've never seen anything run as fast as Meg. Her temperament is so much improved now she is no longer in pain. But here is the conundrum. My vet says that from here he would need to refer her for an MRI scan which will cost at least £2500 and the surgery to repair would be easily double that.

There is no way that SARR can fund that sort of procedure, even appealing to members would only raise a proportion. The only alternative is that Meg lives permanently on pain killers which are so strong that they will significantly shorten her life. At the moment she is a very happy little girl and is now, for the first time in her life, full of energy, fun and life, please help her continue this. The change in her is nothing short of a miracle but she can live a full and happy pain-free life if we can get her the treatment that she needs. Please help Meg get her Christmas Miracle of a happy, pain-free life.