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Special Needs Pug Puppy Will Be Put To Sleep If Charity Can't Raise Enough Money For Vet Bills

Special Needs Pug Puppy Will Be Put To Sleep If Charity Can't Raise Enough Money For Vet Bills

Reggie needs several expensive veterinary procedures in order to lead a full and healthy life.

Mary-Jane Wiltsher

Mary-Jane Wiltsher

A fundraising campaign has been set up for a tiny pug puppy at risk of being put to sleep if a charity can't raise enough money to cover the vet bills.

Adorable pups Reggie and his brother Ronnie - who are now 11 weeks old - were given to animal charity Breeds In Need within 24 hours of being born.

Both brothers have cleft palates and Reggie also has a misshapen head and a suspected hiatal hernia.

Adorable pups Reggie and his brother Ronnie were given to animal charity Breeds In Need within 24 hours of being born (
SWNS)

Both pups are in desperate need of a whole host of expensive veterinary procedures in order to lead a full and healthy life.

Now, Ruth Sanderson, 30, and Sally Turzanski 28, the co-founders of Breeds In Need, are raising funds to help save their lives.

Talking about the fundraising campaign, Ruth said: "Reggie especially wasn't quite right and was regurgitating, something dangerous in cleft puppies.

"Our vets tried a variety of medications but decided that further tests were needed and suspected a type of hernia where the abdomen organs move into the chest."

Reggie has a misshapen head and a suspected hiatal hernia (
SWNS)

X-rays reveal that Reggie had a hiatal hernia, which is the abnormal movement of part of the stomach from its normal position in the abdomen into the chest.

Reggie's condition caused a vet to suggest that he should be put to sleep to avoid the high costs of treatment.

But Ruth said: "He was not and is not in any pain so we felt that to put him to sleep for the sake of money would be unethical and something we could never do."

The GoFundMe page for the dogs has so far raised £1,200 of the £3,500 target.

A vet suggested that Reggie should be put to sleep to avoid the high costs of treatment (
SWNS)

Ruth explained: "The current theory is that his parathyroid glands aren't working properly and he will need an operation to sort this.

"He is going in to the vets on Wednesday 29th July for more blood tests including specialist ones to check the growth hormones and for hyperparathyroidism.

"Which is an expensive one that has to go to a lab in Cambridge; just his last visit was over £800.

"Some people say that they're not worth it, but we couldn't disagree more."

The GoFundMe page has so far raised £1,200 of the £3,500 target (
SWNS)

Ronnie and Reggie both have cleft palpates, which cost £1,000 to treat each.

On their GoFundMe page, Breeds In Need said: "We have 2 choices. We either put Reggie to sleep now and don't give him a chance, or we pay £1000s for a specialist vet to help him and do further investigations and operations.

"We simply cannot end his life without doing absolutely everything that we can to save him and help him like a happy and healthy life."

Here's hoping Ronnie and Reggie get the funds they need. To support the campaign, you can make a donation here.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: Pet, Dog, Puppy, Life

Mary-Jane Wiltsher is a freelance lifestyle and culture journalist. Elsewhere she writes for Stylist, Euronews, PHOENIX and What We Seee.