Rottweiler needs vital surgery to ease the pain she’s been living with for years.
The RSPCA has launched a special fundraising appeal to pay for emergency surgery for a rottweiler who has been living in “excruciating pain” for most of her short life.
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.
The rottweiler - who the family had bought from an Essex breeder - was in a lot of pain and discomfort, and appeared lame.
Staff set about trying to find out what was causing Paris’s pain and following a number of vet checks and x-rays discovered that she was suffering from severe cruciate ligament disease.
Branch trustee and dog rehoming coordinator Kathy Butler said: “One of the cruciate (knee) ligaments in her back legs had already snapped with the other showing signs of serious deterioration.
“Her previous owners said she’d often appeared lame and was sore in her back legs but they’d never investigated. Poor Paris must be 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 around.
“She’s 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.”
Staff at the centre have found Paris a foster home but are now trying to raise funds to cover the cost of the major operation 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.
Kathy added: “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.
“We’re lucky to have an incredible pool of supporters and donors who enable us to do the vital, The RSPCA has launched a special fundraising appeal to pay for emergency surgery for a rottweiler who has been living in “excruciating pain” for most of her short life.
everyday work to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals. £1,500 is a huge amount of money and can take a huge chunk out of our funds which is why we’re trying to fundraise especially to cover these costs separately.
“Paris’s previous owners bought her online from a breeder as a puppy with no paperwork and no apparent health checks on the parents.
“It is saddening and maddening that some breeders can be so irresponsible when producing puppies and there is so much owners can do to ensure they purchase dogs from responsible breeders who breed with health and temperament in mind.”
To make a donation towards Paris’s surgery - due to take place on 14 November - please visit the branch’s special JustGiving page or text ‘FIXU33 £10’ to 70070 to donate £10, or any amount you can spare.
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,” Kathy explained.
For more information about Paris, please visit her rehoming profile or email dogs@rspcaessexsouth.co.uk.
If you’d like to offer a rescue dog a new home, please visit the RSPCA’s online Find A Pet search service to find the paw-fect pooch for you. For more information and help on buying a happy, healthy puppy, please use the Puppy Contract.