Family faces £12,000 bill to save beloved Bexhill dog’s leg - ‘My parents are heartbroken and just want him home’

Bear, who lives with his owners in Bexhill, suffered extensive injuries to one of his legs after a road collision outside his home on September 20.

Since then he has received treatment from vets but the estimated bill is expected to be between £10,000 and £12,000.

Megan Gill has set up a Gofundme fundraising page in a bid to raise money towards paying the veterinary bills.

She said: “Bear managed to escape out of his garden gate on Monday, September 20. Bear was rushed immediately to the closest vet, Claremont Vets in Bexhill, where the staff were unbelievable.

“He was here for four hours while they tended to his wound and fractures.

“As bone was visable there was a high risk of infection. Claremont doesn’t have an overnight facility so he needed to be transferred to his regular vet, Senlac Vets in Battle, for overnight care.

“When came the time to transport him, Bear got very agitated so one of the lovely nurses from Claremont laid with Bear the entire way to keep him calm.

“Senlac Vets were amazing. They kept him overnight for two nights to monitor him.

“Luckily, Bear didn’t have any sign of internal injuries, but they noticed straight away the issue was multiple fractures and the wound itself, after constant observation Bear had extensive amounts of damage to his ligaments, tissue, tendons, veins and skin.

“It was clear that Bear needed to be referred to a specialist vet if the leg was to be saved.

“Bear had his first operation on Wednesday, September 29. The vet informed us he may need to have a few operations depending on how his body reacts and the complexity of saving his leg.”

Bear had bone marrow taken from his shoulder and placed into his wrist to try and fuse it as much as possible.

Megan said a special frame has been built around Bear’s wrist to protect it and keep things in place, in preparation for his next treatment.

The vet also added a contraption over the wound to try and pull the two sides together over time.

Megan added: “The operation apparently went very well, although we were informed on October 2 that Bear had developed an infection in his wound. The specialist vet had to treat Bear with intravenous drugs as he had an infection that was resistant to antibiotics.

“We are yet to hear back on how Bear is doing in regards to his infection, we have been told Bear could be with them for another three weeks.

“My parents are so heartbroken and just want Bear home, but also have the added anxiety of how they are going to afford such an escalating bill. It has been estimated now between £10,000 and £12,000, money that they would happily spend if it means bringing our Bear home good as new.”

The Gofundme page can be found at https://uk.gofundme.com/f/help-bear-save-his-leg.