PDSA saves miracle dog whose owner lost her job due to Covid-19

03 November 2020

Vet charity PDSA was the only place owner Sophie Hara could turn when the family dog Skye, a rescued 11-year-old Kokoni, was left at death’s door from a ruptured gallbladder during lockdown. Sophie, from Hornsey in North London, had lost her job as a temporary Learning Support Assistant in March due to the pandemic, so when she noticed that Skye had become lethargic and her tummy began to swell up like a football, she was distraught.

Sophie Hara (53) said: “I had no money left, I was relying solely on benefits for the first time in my life, and had borrowed all I could earlier in the year when Skye needed urgent treatment for pancreatitis. So when she got ill again in the summer I panicked – I knew I couldn’t afford it. I desperately rang around every vet and charity I could think of but nobody was accepting new patients due to Covid-19. I was facing having to put her to sleep, which was heart-breaking, but then PDSA came to our rescue and offered us a lifeline.”

Sophie, who had adopted Skye to help her get over the sudden death of her mother, was able to register with PDSA. A phone consultation with a vet quickly established that the situation was extremely urgent. Vet Surgeon Team Leader at Hendon, Rhian Blakely said: “During the pandemic we are providing as much help and treatment as we can through remote appointments – using phone consultations and posting out essential medications where possible. However, we were still able to see emergencies in our Pet Hospitals where absolutely necessary, and it was clear in this case that poor Skye was desperately in need of our help.”

Sophie added: “I may have saved Skye when I adopted her, but she also saved me. As a single parent people thought I was mad for taking on more responsibility, but caring for Skye gave me a way through my grief. Just the physical aspect of getting out and walking every day, knowing she was completely reliant on me for her care helped enormously. I’d lost my mother so suddenly – pancreatic cancer took her in just three weeks. I hadn’t been able to do anything to help save her, so I knew I had to do everything in my power to give Skye every chance possible.”

Once Skye was examined, the vet’s fears of a serious problem were confirmed – Skye had a suspected ruptured gall bladder and needed an emergency operation. Rhian said: “This condition can very quickly become fatal and Skye’s condition was severe – it was a miracle she was still alive to be honest. She was weak and the operation was complex and risky for her, we would usually refer this to a specialist but that wasn’t an option – and without it we knew she would die.”

Sophie’s two kids (21 and 18) were staying with her during lockdown, and were as distraught as her at the thought of losing their beloved family pet. Sophie said: “They were teenagers when we adopted her and she helped them through some really difficult times, and the grief of losing their gran. They adore her and we all said tearful goodbyes to her before dropping her off, as we were warned to prepare for the worst.”

The vets had to drain over three litres of fluid from Skye’s swollen abdomen before they were able to go ahead with the complicated surgery to remove her gall bladder.

Sophie said: “It’s the first time I’ve gone to PDSA but the vets were brilliant and I knew they’d try their very best to help Skye pull through. However, I knew there was a good chance she wouldn’t be coming home - it was an awful day waiting for news, but somehow we supported each other through it. When we received the call to say it was a success we were over the moon, they said it was something of a miracle that she’d survived this. Skye is now fully recovered and I’m forever grateful to the amazing staff at Hendon PDSA for saving her life. Their dedication, professionalism and empathy meant we survived this crisis within a crisis, when all other doors were closed to us.”

Sophie was planning to do a sponsored Kilt Walk to raise money for PDSA, but now this has been cancelled she is looking for other ways to support the charity that for many pet owners is their only emergency service.