An adorable puppy was found tied up, emaciated and close to death in a park.
Norman the English Mastiff cross-breed weighed just 10kg when he was found abandoned in Cannock, Staffordshire, along with his two siblings.
He was brought back from the brink of death by Sunnyside Kennels in Wolverhampton before being adopted by Sarah Mapp, 38, and her husband Michael, who nursed him back to full health. But no sooner had the 14-month-old pup settled into his new home in October, tragedy struck, as the family discovered he was suffering from a severe case of hip dysplasia - which can only be corrected by specialist vets at the University of Liverpool Small Animal Practice.
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Sarah, a nurse from Cannock, said: "We were looking for a second dog, and when we saw Norman we absolutely fell in love with him. He wasn't up for rehoming at the time because he was very, very emaciated and sick. We actually fostered him for a short while because he still wasn't healthy enough to be rehomed.
"Norman was found in a park along with his two siblings - they had been tied to a fence and abandoned. They were very small, so emaciated they just had not grown. They had poor teeth, they were severely dehydrated, they all had diarrhoea. If they hadn't been rescued that day, they would probably have died."
With the help of Sarah, Michael and their three children, Norman put on 14kg. But as he piled on the pounds, he started having trouble walking, and an X-ray revealed the problem - his hip bones were not properly connected to his pelvis.
Sarah said: "He was diagnosed with quite serious hip dysplasia. There's no hip socket, his hips are completely flat. His leg bones are held on by muscle alone. It's only become obvious as he has gained weight. He didn't have a lot of weight to hold up before, but now he's started collapsing, toppling over, walking like he's drunk."
Faced with a hefty £12,000 surgery bill, and with Norman's insurance only covering up to £6,000, she faced the heartbreaking option of having her pet put down - but was told that specialist vets at the Small Animal Practice could possibly correct Norman's malformed bones.
She set up an online fund-raiser to "Save Norman's Life", and has already brought in more than £4,000.
She said: "Without this operation he's got no quality of life. We had that conversation about having him put to sleep, which was really sad because he's only a baby.
"We're not the sort of people to ask for money, but we felt we owe it to Norman to do something. We were expecting maybe £500 at most - but it's gone a lot further than that."
She added: "Norman is very dopey. He's got a lovely temperament; he's a bit shy but he loves to lick, he loves food, he likes to sit on your lap and have a cuddle even though he's a giant lump and doesn't realise how big he is. He's a really sweet boy.
"It would be amazing to be able to see him continue to grow. It's been a long road for him already and it's been hard for us to get him to this point. He wasn't toilet trained, he was extremely skinny, and it would be such a shame for him to be put to sleep now after all the work we put in and all the progress he's made.
"We just want him to be able to run again, to be able to know what it's like to be loved."
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