A "heartbroken" family from Liverpool have been left with a £6,000 bill to foot after their dog was left close to death in the middle of the road.
Ashleigh Howey, 26, from Halewood, and her young son Kaiden were "devastated" when their new puppy, called Buddy, was hit by a car last week after he escaped from their home. The young family were left with a tough decision, to have Buddy put down or to save his life at the steep cost of a £6,000 bill.
However, Ashleigh said that the decision was a simple one and she accepted the price of private veterinary care to save Buddy's life. She has already paid some of it through savings, but is now staring up at the steep price of having saved her little boy's best friend.
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The mum-of-one, who works two jobs, told the ECHO: "We were out looking for them for half an hour then got a call that my pup Buddy had been ran over. Thankfully my sister’s pup got away unharmed. He was taken to the PDSA by a very kind member of the public, as the car that hit him drove away and left him at the side of the road.
"He was treated in the PDSA for six days on painkillers but they then gave me the option to put him to sleep or get him surgery privately as it was a huge operation that needed a specialist vet surgeon.
"Thankfully Buddy has had the surgery and is stable at the moment (still in the private vets) but we are left with the vet fees that are needed. Insurance didn't cover it.
"Buddy means the absolute world to us both. My little boy is three and he adores his puppy!
"He’s been asking for him daily for the past week. It’s really sad.
"It’s been a traumatic experience to say the least, hearing that he had been hit by a car was the worst news to hear. I felt helpless and have been blaming myself since it happened.
"He’s part of our family and deserves a happy life. The surgeon is confident he will live a long healthy happy life. They have been amazing.
"It was heartbreaking but I wasn’t getting him put to sleep over money. I've used my own money for some of it at least."
Ashleigh has organised a fundraiser to help pay for Buddy's lifesaving medical fees. It can be found here.
