A Scots pooch badly injured while playing a game of fetch now needs surgery that will cost thousands of pounds.
Springer spaniel Remy was on a family staycation at the Lake District with owner James Macleod when disaster struck while playing a game.
The eight-year-old dog badly hurt her right hind leg as she chased after a ball and now requires a £3,000 surgery to repair the damage.
After returning to Edinburgh and taking poor Remy to the vets, the family were informed that serious injuries like this were far more common in older Springer Spaniels with high-energy.
Now the devastated family have launched a fundraising page in a bid to raise the cash to fix Remy's knee as the operation isn't covered by their insurance, Edinburgh Live reports.
James hopes that by sharing his story he can warn other dog owners to make sure their older ‘high energy’ breeds “slow down."
James Macleod, 38, explained: “I never appreciated how potentially dangerous it can be for Springers and highly active dogs when they are gathering something from fetch.
“I have always seen Remy skid when she runs but didn’t realise how much pressure it was putting on her knees.
“We had her down on a family holiday and she was playing fetch, she disappeared behind a tree and when she came back she was limping on her right hind leg.”
When the family returned to Edinburgh to take Remy to the vet they were told that she had snapped the cruciate ligament in her right hind leg during the game of fetch.
Remy is now on cage bed rest and James' four-year-old daughter Rose is finding it hard to understand why her “best friend” has to rest and not move or play.
The dog will have to take constant painkillers to manage her pain while she waits for the pricey surgery.
The family has raised a quarter of the money on their GoFundMe page so far and say the bill could not have come at a worse time as mum Megan, 25, is heavily pregnant.
James added “The operation is going to cost around £3.000 but with the price of aftercare it will probably be closer to £4,000.
“My wife Megan is expecting our second child in just four weeks.
“It’s a crazy time for this to happen.
“My daughter Rose and Remy are inseparable.
“She has had the dog since she came home from the hospital and they will often just lie together and use each other as a pillow.
“Now Remy is on total crate rest and she doesn’t understand.”
“At the moment money is tight as Megan has been off work with a difficult pregnancy, and now she is about to go on maternity leave.
“Remy is still in pain, she can’t put weight on her back leg and is refined to the crate which she doesn’t like because she is a very active dog.”
“I will have to find the money somehow, Rose wouldn’t cope without her.
“I would urge other pet owners to make sure if they have high energy dogs or springer spaniels that they force them to slow down.”
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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