Desperate dog owner Nikki Sargent, 53, is seeking to raise £2,500 in a bid to diagnose her sick pug who has a mystery illness and provide treatment

A woman has been forced to sell her possessions online to try to save her pug suffering from a mysterious illness.

Dog owner Nikki Sargent, 53, from Croydon, London, is struggling to afford the ever-increasing costs of Monty’s treatment.

The ‘cheeky’ seven-year-old pug suffers from a liver shunt and blocked intestines which has cost him an estimated £65,000 in vet bills over his lifetime.

Earlier this year, Nikki set up a Vinted account to whip up “everything” she could find – but she “can’t sell fast enough to keep up with Monty’s costs”.

“I’m desperate to find out what’s wrong with Monty and get him back in shape,” Nikki said.

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In January 2015, Nikki and her husband George welcomed pug Monty into their home.

The pup was sick from the start, having been born with a liver shunt, and “nearly died at the age of five months”.

The condition means Monty’s blood was bypassing his liver, meaning toxins weren’t filtered out and nutrients weren’t absorbed.

Nikki, who is in a wheelchair and suffers from autoimmune conditions, says: “We kind of saved ourselves.”

Support dog Monty underwent two major operations in the first two years of his life and has had his ups and downs ever since.

In January, he started throwing up and behaving differently, which made Nikki extremely worried.

Although it appears his liver shunt is behaving on its own, abnormal blood tests have confirmed that there is something wrong with the pug.

“We don’t know what it is,” Nikki said.

Monty is currently on antibiotics for colitis and will need to undergo a biopsy of his intestines before taking further action.

Nikki pays for premium pet insurance, which helps cover much of her treatment – although that’s never enough, with her regular checkups costing £500.

Two months ago, Nikki set up a Vinted account to whip up her online business and is keeping the money aside to cover Monty’s vet bills.

She has managed to raise £200 so far and has also set up a GoFundMe page hoping to get more.

The family has struggled financially over the years and even lost their home some time ago.

“Money worries me,” Nikki said, as her husband George once suffered a stroke in 2017 and is unable to work.

Monty is currently “quieter than usual” and has stopped playing his favorite tug of war game.

“It’s really sad,” Nikki added.

Thanks to kind donations from friends and strangers, Nikki managed to pay the first £980 vet bill and thanked those who donated to the fund.

But despite the uncertainty of Monty’s future, she remains positive and describes him as a “strong” dog with a “will to live”.

If you would like to help Nikki, you can donate to Monty’s GoFundMe here.

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