Siberian Husky with 'mystery illness' unable to walk

Emma Leach 41, from Lymington, became concerned when she noticed Cookie wasn’t running around as normal while playing with her sister Jasmine, five weeks ago.

The next day Cookie was limping and before long, lost mobility in her front legs altogether.

Emma told the Echo: “It’s such a shame as she’s usually so full of life and energy.

“She’s my baby and it breaks my heart to see her struggle.”

After visiting both Southampton and Bournemouth PDSA Hospital, vets were unable to diagnose a ‘mystery neurological condition’, citing Cookie would need to be seen privately for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

The cost of a private MRI scan is £300 for a consultation and £4,000 for the scan itself.

Emma's pet insurance is unable to cover the cost of the fee due to the fact she hasn't had the policy for a long enough period of time.

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Emma said: “It’s not a small amount of money and realistically I’m going to need some help if I’m going to be able to afford it.

“In the meantime, she’s receiving medication, but I’ve been told it’s not really making any difference and the alternative would be to put her to sleep.

“I really don’t want to do that – she means the world to me.

“I’ve recently set up a GoFundMe page and if anyone’s able to support it I’d be incredibly grateful, I know a lot of people are struggling because of the cost-of-living crisis at the moment.”

With Cookie unable to walk, Emma has resorted to wheeling her around in a buggy so that she’s able to live as normally as she possibly can.

Emma added: “Using a harness I can lift her back legs and carry her out into the garden.

“I also walk her round in a buggy so that she’s able to get outside.

“I just want to see her get back to normal as quickly as possible and see her back to her normal self.

“I want her to have a good quality of life.”