Skye's story

When Sophie lost her job and rescue dog, Skye, needed urgent treatment, she didn’t know where to turn for help. She couldn’t bear to see her dog suffering but was worried about the cost of veterinary treatment.

Thankfully, PDSA were there in their time of need.

When Sophie sadly lost her mum to cancer, she was going through a really difficult time. She also needed to help her two teenage children get through their grief – along with getting through her own. The three of them decided to adopt Skye, who was four-years-old at the time.

Skye brought a whole new lease of life to the family. She gave them all purpose and something to focus on. Despite being worried she was taking on too much at a difficult time, Sophie says that adopting Skye when they did was the best thing the family have ever done and Skye gave her a way through her grief.

Seven years on and at 11-years-old Skye was still doing well. When the pandemic hit, Sophie sadly lost her job and became completely reliant on benefits for the first time in her life.

Shortly after losing her job, Sophie started to notice that Skye just wasn’t herself. Her vet found that Skye had pancreatitis, so Sophie did whatever she could to ensure Skye got the treatment she needed as she couldn’t face losing her best friend. For a time, it looked like Skye was on the mend.

Sadly, Skye’s condition suddenly deteriorated. Sophie had already borrowed money for Skye’s other treatment and had to look elsewhere for help. After having every door closed, Sophie was desperate. Skye needed treatment urgently or Sophie would have to face the difficult decision to have her put to sleep.

Eventually Sophie called PDSA and was offered the lifeline Skye desperately needed. After a phone consultation with a vet, Sophie was told to bring Skye to their local Pet Hospital for urgent treatment.

By this point, Skye’s stomach had swollen and she was in great deal of pain, hardly able to breathe. The team assessed her straight away and found she needed emergency surgery for a ruptured gall bladder.

It was touch and go at first – Skye’s age meant she was more at risk the longer she was under anaesthetic, so the vets needed to work fast. They needed to drain 3 litres of fluid from Skye before they could operate on her gall bladder. Thanks to the amazing skill and expertise of the PDSA team, Skye pulled through and her relieved family were able to take her home to recover.

Sophie and her children are over the moon to have their family pet back and are forever grateful to PDSA. Skye is now back to her usual bouncy self, but our vets continue to treat so many more emergency cases every day working tirelessly through the pandemic.

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