Heartbreak in Torbay as rescue dog becomes critically ill days after adoption, with vet bills topping £8,600

A Torquay woman is urgently appealing for support after her rescue dog Gracie fell critically ill less than 24 hours after arriving in the UK.

Julia, who adopted the 13-month-old dog from Macedonia only a week ago, said Gracie had been “full of life and love” when she reached Torquay on Thursday – but by Friday she had deteriorated rapidly, suffering laboured breathing, fluid on her lungs and what vets now believe is a severe and aggressive bacterial infection.

“She is responding to the treatment – it’s a severe infection, really severe,” Julia said. “Everything that I have has gone. I literally have nothing. I’ve borrowed £3,000 to pay the rest of it, and I think the bill as of tomorrow [12 Dec] is £8,600.”

Gracie has spent several nights in intensive care at Dart Vale Hospital in Newton Abbot, receiving oxygen, IV fluids, steroids and multiple antibiotics. She is now at Amity Vets but remains in a fragile condition.

Julia said: “She arrived with me last Thursday night… She took ill on Friday. I literally had her a night. If she takes ill over the weekend or she goes downhill and needs more fluids, that’ll be it. I’ll have to let her go, and I can’t do that, not when she’s getting better.”

Insurance cannot yet be used because illness cover does not begin until seven days after adoption.

The emotional toll has been heavy for Julia, who told how she has faced loss after loss this year. “I lost my husband suddenly in January… Then my dog became poorly in October and I had to lose her too,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting this to happen.”

A fundraising page has been set up to support Gracie’s treatment and currently sits at £3,145. Donations continue to come in from across Torbay – including from one woman at Torbay Hospital who overheard colleagues talking about Gracie’s fight.

“This lady overheard me talking about this on our lunch break at Torbay Hospital, and has just donated. So nice,” one supporter wrote.

The charity that rescued Gracie had completed all required checks and medical preparation before her transport from Macedonia. Initial tests suggest she may have developed kennel cough, which then escalated into a dangerous bacterial infection.

Despite everything, Julia says Gracie is still fighting hard. “Home yesterday she was the best she’d been – really sprightly… It’s just a case of keeping her body sustained while she fights this infection.”

How to help

The fundraiser is supporting Gracie’s ongoing emergency care, with daily costs still rising. Click HERE for their JustGiving page.