A Suffolk dog lover needs help to pay an urgent £4,000-plus vet’s bill for his Romanian rescue puppy’s lifesaving treatment.
Nathan Woolnough, of Ixworth, fears lovable Merlin will have to be put down if he can’t fund a vital operation in the next few days.
He said: “It’s very urgent – the vet has said he has a problem with his liver. He needs to have a CT scan to find the problem and then have an operation to fix it,
“I’m on disability benefit so I can’t afford to pay it all myself. I had just scraped together £300 to pay to the rescue for rehoming him.”
Mr Woolnough said his two daughters already loved Merlin. The pet, described as a “Heinz 57 varieties”, had been settling in well, but then suddenly became ill .
“He started to have seizures and had to spend a week at the vet’s. He came back home with lots of medication,” Mr Woolnough said.
He added: “I’m unable to seek any assistance from PDSA, RSPCA or Blue Cross, due to being outside their catchment areas.”
MORE: Meet the new police dog puppies here to keep Suffolk safeMr Woolnough said the small non-profit-making rescue organisation which saved Merlin from the streets of Romania, Love4dogs Rescue, is helping and trying very hard to raise the funds, but cannot currently afford to pay the bill.
Love4dogs Rescue spokesman Sharon said they are using all their resources and rescue contacts to help and are trying to arrange the specialist treatment. However, their fundraising has been hit hard by the Covid pandemic.
The six-month-old puppy had been insured via the rescue, but unfortunately became ill within the initial 10-day exclusion period.
Mr Woolnough has set up a GoFundMe page. He said: “I thought I would have a few months to raise the money, but now the vet has said Merlin is losing weight and needs to have his operation at the beginning of next week, if he is to avoid permanent damage.
“So far people have donated £350 which is really good in just a few days and I’m very grateful, but I need to find more than £4,000 in a short time.
“Ideally I’m hoping that a vet will be able to take him on for free or that a charity will be able to help.”
MORE: ‘Awesome little dog’ Elsa was nearly bald - but is recovering wellMr Woolnough said: “I had been thinking of getting a rescue dog. One of my friends was fostering puppies for the rescue and Merlin got on well with my existing dog, so I thought, he is the one.”
He added: “He was found on the streets with his five siblings – we think his mother may have been hit by a car.”
If you can help Mr Woolnough, email woolnough@rocketmail.com
To donate, visit uk.gofundme.com/f/gt6xz-merlinFor more information and to donate, visit his GoFundMe page.
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