What lengths would you go to save your poorly pooch?
Well, one couple have sacrificed their house deposit and are now facing a six-month stay with in-laws after shelling out £5,200 for an operation for their beloved dog.
The usually lively five-year-old sausage dog named Coco suddenly lost the use of her back legs due to a slipped disc.
Josie Ayres, 26 carried Coco out into the garden so she could go to the toilet and was horrified when she realised she couldn't walk and was dragging her back legs.
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She called her wife Jessica, 25, in tears and they rushed her to the local vet in Bletchingley, Surrey.
Jessica said: "Josie rang me in floods of tears when I was on my way to work saying 'she can't move'. Straight away I panicked, my first thought was it was her back and I knew how serious that could be.
"My first instinct wasn't financial, I remember thinking, 'Are we going to take her to the vet and come home with her?'
"We do know people who have paid thousands of pounds and their dog's not made it - that was my biggest worry."
Specialists at the vets discovered Coco had intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and needed a life-saving operation, or would need to be put to sleep. Jessica said there was 'no question' that their 'baby' Coco would have the pricey albeit life-saving spinal surgery.
IVDD is a condition that causes the intervertebral discs (cushions between the backbones) to lose their sponginess, become hard and fragile and sometimes slip out of place. Certain breeds such as the Dachshund and French bulldog are prone to IVDD and slipped discs due to the shape of their spine.
The couple used a third of the £17,000 they had saved for their first house for Coco's op and now face a six-month stay with Josie's parents while they save enough money for their dream home and care for Coco.
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Jessica said: "I've had a lot of people tell me I'm crazy, but we just didn't have the heart not [to], not having the operation wasn't even a question for us."
Josie and Jessica became Coco's parents when she was just eight weeks old. They became concerned that she was not acting like her normal, energetic self in the days leading up to her becoming partially paralysed.
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"She was a bit shaky and her personality quietened down," said Jessica. "Normally when you'd walk in she would jump up at you, but instead she was just wagging her tail and not jumping up."
She added: "She's only five, she's full of life, it just wouldn't have been fair not to have the operation. Coco is a healthy and happy dog, putting her down wasn't an option for us."
Coco underwent the two-hour operation and then had massage therapy to get her legs moving again. She may also need hydrotherapy during her six-month recovery. "She's got a little waddle, bless her, but she's starting to move on her own and she's very eager to be outside, when the puppies run out she trundles after them."
Josie and Jessica's friends and family encouraged them to set-up a GoFundMe page for Coco's recovery. You can donate here.
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Get well soon Coco!
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and MediaTopics: Real