Our beautiful 3-year-old cocker spaniel has just been diagnosed with what the vets believe is IMHA — a rare and life-threatening illness. We are doing everything we can to save him, but his vet bills have already gone over £10,000 and are still climbing fast.

He is currently at a specialist referral facility in Bristol after suffering a relapse and needing a second blood transfusion. Before this, we had already seen two other vets, who admitted that there isn’t much known about IMHA. They provided £3,200 worth of treatment — including one blood transfusion, two nights of hospital care, medication, and regular blood tests every few days — not including our very first vet’s bills which was a full blood test, day in the vets on fluids and medication.

During this time, he also had a wound on his leg that was simply bandaged, with no further investigation. When we returned for more blood tests, we were told he had relapsed. Unfortunately, there were no matching blood donors nearby, so we were referred to Bristol, which meant a three-hour drive.

At the Bristol specialist, he received his second blood transfusion, a full body scan, comprehensive blood work, and further overnight care. The vets are now investigating whether his condition may be bone marrow-related. They also discovered grass seeds embedded in his body and leg, which explains the earlier wound.

We’ve been told that in cases like this, survival often depends on how much treatment can be funded, as it takes time — and often multiple transfusions — before medication can begin to take effect. The initial estimate from the referral specialist starts at £7,000.

We’ve just set up a JustGiving page to try and cover some of the costs, and I’m also in the process of selling our car to help fund his treatment.

Every bit of advice, support, or simply sharing his story means the world to us. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and for caring about these incredible dogs as much as we do.

I also want to raise awareness about IMHA — a condition I hadn’t heard of until now — which is known to mostly affect cocker spaniels like ours. The more people know about it, the better chance we have of helping dogs in the future.

Picture of him at our wedding day in a suit I made him 💓