An alleged dog attack has left a husky with life-threatening injuries and her devastated owner with a massive £23,000 vet bill.
Naevia’s family was left devastated after the six-year-old husky was allegedly attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries during a dog walk on a nearby beach, losing more than 80 per cent of her blood. The pup was reportedly attacked by two ‘bulldog-type’ dogs not wearing collars or leads.
Owner and mum Marie Hay was left heartbroken when she learned that her £50 per month insurance costs wouldn’t cover the sort of care needed to save the life of her beloved family pet and launched a GoFundMe in the hopes of covering the expected £14,000 bill. Now she has been told to expect that bill to grow to a whopping £23,000 after Naevia experienced complications in her recovery.
She has already undergone multiple surgeries and a blood transfusion at Wear Referrals Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Hospital in Bradbury, reports Teesside Live. The pup lost 83 per cent of her blood as a result of the alleged attack and after losing more in surgery, she is not out of the woods just yet with more surgeries a possibility.
Marie explained: “Naevia’s operation went well but because of the catastrophic injuries the dogs caused, Naevia lost 83 per cent of her blood. During the operation, she has lost a further five per cent so only has 12 per cent blood count and needs a transfusion.
“There is a risk with this but at this point, the vet wants to throw everything at her – she has got this far.” The specialist vet has now estimated that the bill for her care will be £9,000 more than they had initially anticipated, but thanks to an outpouring of support online, the bills will be covered.
Marie’s GoFundMe page has continued to grow daily as news of her situation spread and is now near to hitting an incredible £40,000. The 40-year-old said that she has been ‘overwhelmed’ by the kindness people have shown to her family and whatever money does not get used will be put towards helping other families in similar situations.
She is already planning to donate £2,000 of the funds to help a family in Ireland after their Shih Tzu, Teddy, was attacked by another dog. Adding: “A dog in Ireland has gone through a similar thing as Naevia.
“The woman only needs £2,000 to get him to the point he won’t need treatment anymore. I’m going to use some of Naevia’s funding to pay for Teddy.”
For now, Marie and Neavia’s lengthy journey continues, with the mum-of-three making daily visits to see her and even taking some of her favourite treats in the hopes it will improve her appetite. Following surgery the husky has been shunning the snacks, so she popped to the shop to see if a steak might make her mouth water.
In an update on her GoFundMe page, Marie said: “She still hasn’t eaten so I’m allowed to go and visit at 10.30 and take her some things that she may like to eat, so I’m going to pop to the shop and get her some steak and soya cream/milk. She will always try and steal my daughters soya milk as she has allergies, so I’m hoping something from home that she’s not normally allowed may make her feel more herself.”
The mum previously praised vets and said without them Naevia would have died. Following the alleged attack, Cleveland Police have confirmed they are investigating.
In a statement last week, a force spokesperson said: “Police were called to the beach near the caravan park at Redcar just after 3pm on Sunday, February 5, to a report of a dog attack by two bulldog-type pets on a husky.
“Officers attended the scene and took initial details including a counter allegation from the bulldogs’ owner. It’s understood at least one dog received veterinary treatment and a man and three women attended hospital for treatment – primarily for hand injuries.
“As part of ongoing enquiries, we are obtaining more detailed accounts as well as details of any confirmed injuries to the dogs and people involved. Police have already spoken to a number of independent witnesses but would appeal for anyone who saw the incident or who may have footage of it to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting ref 022669.”
