A teacher has vowed to remortgage her home to help raise £20,000 for a life-saving treatment for her three-year-old dog.
Nicki Dyson, from Hessle in East Yorkshire, wants to pay for surgery to cure a painful condition that her Chow Chow, Narla, suffers from.
The poor pooch has elbow dysplasia which has caused her bones to rub away the protective cartilage, resulting in bone rubbing against bone when she walks.
She is on constant pain killers and limps along as she has problems with both front legs, and an unconnected problem with her knee on her back left leg.
But Ms Dyson, who rescued the adorable lionesque type dog from travellers two years ago, wants to do everything to give her ‘baby’ the loving life she deserves.
Nicki Dyson, from Hessle in East Yorkshire, has vowed to remortgage her home to raise £20,000 for life-saving surgery for her dog Narla
The poor pooch has elbow dysplasia which has caused her bones to rub away the protective cartilage, resulting in bone rubbing against bone when she walks
Pictured: Narla after her second surgery to remove bone fragments from her back legs in January 2018
That involves raising the £20,000 required to pay for complex surgery, which will see her having plastic and metal plates being inserted at her elbow joints.
The operation costs £8,000 for each leg, with extra money required for scans and after-care.
Her pet insurance, for which she pays £60 per month, have paid £6,000 out so far for treatment – but caps at £7,000 for each condition.
She has now asking the public to help her by setting up an online fundraising appeal after travelling the length and breadth of Britain for an answer.
But Ms Dyson has said she will go as far as re-mortgaging her own house if she has to.
She said: ‘At the moment Narla’s pain is manageable, she is on pain killers that help her. She can get out into the garden and have a sniff around.
‘For the moment I can see is happy. Despite everything she is always wagging her tail and smiling this funny smile she has.
‘But I want her to have back to full health, she is so placid and gentle, she didn’t have a good start in life and I’ve always vowed to do everything for her that I can.
‘While there’s something I can do, I will.’
She is on constant pain killers and limps along as she has problems with both front legs, and an unconnected problem with her knee on her back left leg
Ms Dyson said: ‘For the moment I can see is happy. Despite everything she is always wagging her tail and smiling this funny smile she has. But I want her to have back to full health’
Ms Dyson travelled to Lincolnshire in December 2016 answering an ad on Gumtree.
‘Something clicked in me then,’ said Ms Dyson, ‘I thought something wasn’t quite right, so I went to rescue her.’
Narla, whose name is inspired by the female lead in the Lion King, came with a passport which said she originally hailed from Hungary.
Adorable Narla lives a cherished life where she is showered with gifts, given lavish birthday parties and has lots of friends at the doggy cafes they go to.
When Ms Dyson discovered Narla was 13 months old, and not 11 months old as her previous owners claimed, she was devastated to find out they had missed her first birthday and vowed to make every birthday count.
Despite minor problems with Narla’s health that were easily cleared up with a visit to the vet, Narla seemed to be in great form.
But disaster struck in the summer of 2017 when the cruciate ligament in her back knee snapped.
Crab stick loving Narla had an operation and she, luckily, fully recovered in time for her 2nd birthday and a great party in November 2017.
‘When Narla turned two I threw her a birthday party with loads of doggy guests, cake and party bags.
‘I made everyone sing Happy Birthday to her.’
Sadly Narla’s clean bill of health didn’t last long when she suddenly stopped walking, with three of her legs completely refusing to work.
It turned out she had a severe form of the devastating and life-limiting condition, elbow dysplasia.
She had another op in January 2018 to remove bone fragments from her back legs.
But Narla fell ill again in May 2018 and since then Ms Dyson has traveled the length and breadth of the country to find a vet who could cure Narla.
But even this operation comes with complications.
Adorable Narla lives a cherished life where she is showered with gifts, given lavish birthday parties and has lots of friends at the doggy cafes they go to
Ms Dyson said: ‘Over time Narla will get worse, our only option is to operate. I would not be a responsible owner if I were to leave her like this.
‘If the operation is not a success then we will have put her down, and I just can’t contemplate that, you can’t have a dog who has the use of just one leg.’
In the meantime, Ms Dyson has set up a crowdfunding page to raise as much money as she can.
She is also undertaking a number of fundraising events and her sister in Australia, Carla, 29, and her mother and father in Spain helping out.
She will top up the rest with money raised from her home.
Ms Dyson bought her childhood home, a three-bed detached home for a steal at £150,000 from her parents when they moved to Spain in October 2017.
She is sure there will be enough equity in her home but funds raised are limited as she has to be able to afford the repayments.
Ms Dyson said: ‘It is heart-breaking because she is so friendly and has given me so much. I will fight for her to the end.’
You can donate to Ms Dyson’s fundraiser here.