A Bristol woman is in a race against time to save her much-loved puppy Lexi. It comes only months after she took on the Samoyed cross Akita pup, which was an ‘unwanted Christmas pet'.
Fishponds resident Alexandra Moise said Lexi was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia last week, but that she knew something was wrong with her back legs from when the puppy was 12 weeks old. Alexandra said Lexi was 'skin and bones' when she bought her in February.
Alexandra said the seller was desperate to sell the dog to her. She said Lexi was 'an unwanted Christmas puppy' and had been born around November. “When the seller brought her to my house, she was severely malnourished. If Lexi had stayed there, she would have been dead,” she said.
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Alexandra said with lots of love and attention Lexi became a confident, lively puppy - but then her back legs started to be more troubling. She said that in the past few weeks, her ability to walk had rapidly worsened.
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She said with the diagnosis of hip dysplasia, the vet told her the operation would have to be done by a specialist and could cost as much as £8,000 per hip. She was advised that should the operation be done, Lexi could have a healthy future ahead.
Alexandra said: “Due to my financial situation, I am unable to provide these funds. If Lexi cannot have these operations, the vet advised that I should put her down.
“She had a bad start to her life, but apart from her hips, she’s healthy. Three weeks ago, she started limping on her left leg and it has been getting worse by the day. She only gets up to eat and drink and go outside, she has been in constant pain for the last month. But she has a long way to live and I want to save her,” she said, adding that Lexi was on strong painkillers.
Alexandra started a GoFundMe to raise funds for Lexi to have the hip operations. With a goal of £20,000, just over £500 has been raised.
