Sheffield dogs: ‘Lifeline’ foster home urgently needed as Rotherham dog shelter fights for ‘very poorly’ Etta

A South Yorkshire dog shelter has made a heartbreaking appeal after they were hit with their ‘biggest’ vet bill for a very poorly dog.

Helping Yorkshire Poundies, based in Rotherham, has stated they “desperately need help” after taking on a critically ill dog that required urgent veterinary treatment. 

On Thursday afternoon (February 15), the dog shelter posted a photo of Etta who was “fighting for her life”. An ultrasound had revealed that the poorly dog had an inflamed bowel with raised lymph nodes, and she was unable to keep any food down.

As a last hope, Etta, who was so weak she was unable to keep her head up, was fitted with a feeding tube.

Today the charity has revealed that Etta looks to be recovering, but she now needs an urgent foster home to move into within the next 48 hours. But Etta’s vital vet treatment has come at a cost - the charity also stated it had been hit by an “unexpected” vet bill of over £3,500, which is set to increase by at least another £1,000. 

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Posting on social media, the charity said: “We’ve just received possibly our ‘biggest’ single vet bill to date for Etta... This was absolutely unexpected, but the only other option was to say ‘no, we can’t help’ - it’s a terrible situation to be in.

“We feel like it’s coming at us from all angles right now, and we really do desperately need help‼️ ‘Panic mode’ has really set in‼️

“Sweet Etta is STILL in the vets bless her but she IS looking a little brighter and looks like she’s turned a corner - she has her feeding tube in, and is a little brighter.

“We now URGENTLY need to find her a FOSTER HOME to move into either tomorrow or Monday depending on how she’s doing. She is very nervous and shy, and will need separating from any resident pets for now. Please, please get in touch if you can be Etta's next lifeline.”

If you can help Helping Yorkshire Poundies with a financial donation, or if you could provide Etta a home where she can continue to recover, please visit https://helpingyorkshirepoundies.co.uk/, or message the charity on Facebook.

Helping Yorkshire Poundies is a registered charity with a small group of volunteers who “work tirelessly to help dogs on death row”.