Molly, a 6 month old Bichon Cross was brought in to our Godmanchester Centre a few days ago as her owner was unable to give her the time this young pup needed.

Limping and looking very sorry for herself, she was given a thorough examination by our vets and it was immediately clear there was something seriously wrong with her knees.

Little Molly was placed into foster care with one of our Surgery Team whilst we arranged for an orthopaedic referral to get a specialist opinion on her prognosis and the potential future management of her problems.

Molly has now been diagnosed with Medial Patellar Luxation in both her hind legs, though her right leg is more severe. Patellar luxation means an abnormality in her joint is causing her kneecap to not align correctly with the grooves in her thigh bones and so they are almost permanently dislocated, causing her to have trouble walking and even sitting comfortably.

Molly's legs do not appear to be painful but without surgery she will have no future, her legs will become progressively worse and this young girl will not be able to enjoy the life of a normal bouncy young dog.

Thankfully she is now in safe hands and with a long future ahead of her, but we need your help.

Molly needs immediate surgery to her right leg and further surgery to her left at a later date. Whilst we do have funding for major operations, our resources are very limited. The total cost of Molly’s operation and aftercare is going to be around £2,500 per leg so a total of £5,000. We urgently need donations from our supporters to help us fund this essential operation.

Vanessa Cunningham, Director of Veterinary Services says "Molly is such a lovely puppy who deserves the best chance of a healthy happy future – with your help and support we want to ensure she gets access to the right specialist care to enable this."