Devastated Harborough family try to raise money for dog's emergency chemotherapy treatment

A devoted dog owner is trying to raise money for urgent chemotherapy treatment for her pet.

Five-year-old crossbreed Pippin became suddenly unwell earlier this month and was rushed to Town & Country vets in Market Harborough.

Owner Jacky Watson – who adopted the dog when he was eight months old – was left devastated after the Shihzu and Poodle mix was diagnosed with Lymphoma.

Jacky said: “Pippin is our absolute world. We were the luckiest family to be chosen to adopt this gorgeous, amazing, cuddly, funny, playful and fluffy boy and he has completely changed mine and my son’s lives.

“Over the years Pip has struggled with stomach and bowel problems and on April 20 he took ill very suddenly and I rushed him to our vets.

“Because Pip was in so much pain, they admitted him to give him pain relief and wanted to do some blood tests and an ultrasound to try and find out what was causing his pain. A couple of his blood results were slightly abnormal and the ultrasound showed a couple of enlarged lymph nodes.”

The dog was then transferred to Abington Animal Hospital in Moulton where he underwent a scan. It showed he had several severely enlarged lymph nodes and a mass in his intestine needing emergency surgery to remove.

While surgery was carried out more tests were done which confirmed he had Lymphoma.

After removing the mass, along with part of Pippin’s intestine which had perforated from its size, vets said his best chance of remission would be a 19-week course of intravenous chemotherapy, which he has already started.

And while the family does have the dog insured, costs from tests and surgery have reached more than their insurer’s limit of £5,000 - which means they cannot make more claims to cover the bills.

Jacky added: “This has been the hardest and most difficult decision that myself and my sons Jamie and Danny have discussed at length. We all agreed we want to give Pip every chance at beating this and letting him live as long as possible.

“If he was an older dog our decision would possibly have been different, but he is only five and deserves a chance, we can't just give up on him without trying.”

The family is now trying to raise the £8,000 quoted by vets for Pippin’s treatment.

Jacky said: “He will be monitored very carefully and we will always make sure he is comfortable, pain free and happy.

“But the cost of this treatment is not cheap, and we have been given an estimate of £8,000. It’s a of money and it's not the sort of money we have got just lying around hence why we've taken the decision to ask for help, no matter how small, as we all know these are difficult times for everyone.

“We have already exceeded our insurance limit but we are desperate and just want to give our special best boy Pippin a chance to live his life.”

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