An adorable golden retriever puppy needs life-changing surgery to stop her "wobbling when she walks", after being diagnosed with hip dysplasia.
Six-month-old Roxy went from being a "crazy little puppy running around everywhere" to a dog with pain in her "big brown eyes".
Just two weeks ago, the puppy's back legs suddenly went wobbly and she couldn't get up off the sofa.
She now needs to raise £11,000 before she can have a double hip replacement, as the surgery exceeds her pet insurance cover.
Without surgery, Roxy will remain "in extreme pain and discomfort", but with new hips, she can "live a fulfilled and happy life like any other dog".
Owner Rebecca North, based in Guildford, Surrey, bought eight-week-old Roxy from a "good breeder" last September.
Rebecca’s husband, Elvis, and their two children, Kayleigh, 17, and Kieran, 11, “absolutely fell in love” with Roxy, as did her new sibling, two-year-old golden retriever, Kaleb.
Rebecca describes Roxy as “the most adorable, loving dog”.
Roxy has a “mischievous” side and loves nothing more than playing with the children - and occasionally eating wallpaper.
“She will happily lay on the floor with her toys around her,” Rebecca said.
On January 19, Rebecca and Kayleigh took Roxy for her first off-lead run around the local common.
“She was absolutely fine, running around like a crazy little puppy”, Rebecca said.
“Then later that day, when I was at work, Kayleigh sent me a video of Roxy struggling to get up off the sofa.
“It was like her back legs couldn’t work.”
Rebecca rushed home and worryingly contacted her local vet, who prescribed pain killer injections.
“At first, the vet thought it was a pulled muscle, but after several visits she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia,” Rebecca said.
Now, Roxy is “really wobbly on her back legs” and struggles to play.
“When she walks, you can see the pain in her little face,” Rebecca said.
“Her big brown eyes look really sad at the moment. It breaks my heart.”
Roxy has been referred to an orthopaedic specialist to have a “gold standard” double hip replacement, which would cost £8,000 per hip.
Her pet insurance only covers £5,000 of the £16,000 total - meaning the family need to find £11,000 to give Roxy a second chance at life.
“If she doesn’t have the surgery, it will lead to osteoarthritis and she will be in extreme pain and discomfort,” Rebecca explained.
“It would limit her ability to be a puppy and play.
“If she has the operation, she will live a fulfilled and happy life like any other dog.”
There is a possibility that young Roxy may be a candidate for a Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO), which costs less money - but is still more than the pet insurance will cover.
“Very few dogs are elected for TPO,” Rebecca said.
Ten days ago, daughter Kayleigh decided to set up a GoFundMe page for family and friends to donate towards Roxy's surgery.
So far, they have raised £150 towards their goal.
“If Roxy is elected for TPO, she will have surgery in the next two weeks,” Rebecca said.
“If she needs to have a full hip replacement, she will have the operation as soon as we’ve raised enough funds.”
If you’d like to help fix Roxy’s wobbly back legs, you can donate to her GoFundMe page .
