Cash plea for Ted's operation

Dog owner's crowdfunding appeal to pay for medical treatment for her German shepherd

A DOG owner is fundraising for her beloved pooch to undergo life-changing surgery.

Tadley resident Lesley Ann Pearce is raising money for her German shepherd Ted to go under the knife to fix a ruptured disc in his back.

Seven-year-old Ted originally sustained the injury in 2017 after being jumped on by a bigger dog.

He had surgery to fix it – costing Mrs Pearce around £8,000 – but the problem returned later in the year.

Since then Ted has been given acupuncture and homeopathy treatments as well as daily painkillers, but his mobility has gradually reduced and over the last few months has become “wobbly” when standing up and walking.

Ted now needs further surgery at a specialist vet at a cost of around £7,500.

The bills come at a difficult time for Mrs Pearce – who will finish her contract as an IT consultant in December. She has also recently spent £37,000 after unexpected building work costs on her house.

Mrs Pearce – who has had Ted since he was two weeks old – has set up a GoFundMe page for him and said that she couldn’t bear it if money prevented her from helping him.

She said: “I’d never had a credit card until last year, never had a loan and now I’m maxed out on credit cards. I couldn’t bear it if I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t have the money.

“I can’t walk down the road without people stopping me and saying what a beautiful dog he is.

“Over the last five months I’ve noticed a difference in him.

“I’m now giving him more medication if I can see if he’s having a bad day, but over the last few months he’s just got worse.

“He’s a really bouncy, friendly dog, but now he does less and less and you can only give them so much medication.

“It took me two months to start the GoFundMe – I felt like I was begging, but I didn’t have any choice.”

To donate to Ted’s campaign, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/at3rzx-operation-for-ted