Yorkshire woman will remortgage house to raise £20,000 needed to save her dog

A woman from Yorkshire says she will remortgage her home to raise the £20,000 needed for life-saving treatment for her dog.
Nicki Dyson and her beloved chow Narla.Nicki Dyson and her beloved chow Narla.
Nicki Dyson and her beloved chow Narla.

Nicki Dyson, 31, from Hessle, Hull, is on a fundraising mission to pay for surgery that will cure her three-year-old Chow Chow, Narla who suffers from a condition which means she has abnormal elbow joints.

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Narla suffers from elbow dysplasia, which has caused her bones to rub away the protective cartilage, resulting in bone rubbing against bone when she walks.

Narla suffers from elbow dysplasia.Narla suffers from elbow dysplasia.
Narla suffers from elbow dysplasia.

She is on constant pain killers and limps along as she has problems with both front legs, and an unconnected problem with her knee on her back left leg.

But Miss Dyson, who rescued the adorable lion-esque type dog from travellers two years ago, wants to do everything to give her "baby" the loving life she deserves.

That involves raising the £20,000 required to pay for complex surgery, which will see her having plastic and metal plates being inserted at her elbow joints.

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The operation costs £8,000 for each leg, with extra money required for scans and after-care.

Her pet insurance, for which she pays £60 per month, have paid £6,000 out so far for treatment - but caps at £7,000 for each condition.

She has now asked the public to help her by setting up an online fundraising appeal after travelling the length and breadth of Britain for an answer.

But Miss Dyson will go as far as remortgaging her own house if she has to.

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She said: "At the moment Narla's pain is manageable, she is on pain killers that help her. She can get out into the garden and have a sniff around.

"For the moment I can see she is happy. Despite everything she is always wagging her tail and smiling this funny smile she has.

"But I want her to have back to full health, she is so placid and gentle, she didn't have a good start in life and I've always vowed to do everything for her that I can.

"While there's something I can do, I will."

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Miss Dyson travelled to Lincolnshire in December 2016 answering an ad on Gumtree.

"Something clicked in me then," she said, "I thought something wasn't quite right, so I went to rescue her."

Narla, whose name is inspired by the female lead in the Lion King, came with a passport - which said she originally hailed from Hungary.

Despite minor problems with Narla's health that were easily cleared up with a visit to the vet, Narla seemed to be in great form.

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But disaster struck in the summer of 2017 when the cruciate ligament in her back knee snapped.

Crab stick loving Narla had an operation and she, luckily, fully recovered in time for her 2nd birthday and a great party in November 2017.

"When Narla turned two I threw her a birthday party with loads of doggy guests, cake and party bags.

"I made everyone sing Happy Birthday to her."

Sadly Narla's clean bill of health didn't last long when she suddenly stopped walking, with three of her legs completely refusing to work.

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It turned out she had a severe form of the devastating and life-limiting condition, elbow dysplasia.

She had another op in January 2018 to remove bone fragments from her front legs.

But Narla fell ill again in May 2018 and since then Miss Dyson has travelled the length and breadth of the country to find a vet who could cure Narla.

But even this operation comes with complications.

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"Over time Narla will get worse, our only option is to operate. I would not be a responsible owner if I were to leave her like this." she said.

"If the operation is not a success then we will have put her down, and I just can't contemplate that, you can't have a dog who has the use of just one leg."

In the meantime, she has set up a crowdfunding page to raise as much money as she can.

She is also undertaking a number of fundraising events and her sister in Australia, Carla, 29, and her mum and dad in Spain helping out.

She will top up the rest with money raised from her home.

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Nicki bought her childhood home, a three-bed detached home for a steal at £150,000 from her parents when they moved to Spain in October 2017.

She is sure there will be enough equity in her home but funds raised are limited as she has to be able to afford the repayments.

She said: "It is heartbreaking because she is so friendly and has given me so much. I will fight for her to the end."