Give Derek back his sight

Hello, my name is Bev. I am the proud, single working Mum of two teenage daughters, and Derek - my beautiful boy Shih Tzu who will be 3 in August 2023.

We have owned Derek since he was 8 weeks old and we have enjoyed a lot of adventures with him. He is 'our little man' and we have never spent a day apart.

On Tuesday 11th April, we noticed that Derek's eyes had changed in appearance - where before he had so much expression in his eyes, they had suddenly turned glazed and were staring. He began bumping into furniture and walls and we immediately knew something was wrong.

I took him to my local vet the following day, who immediately referred him to an eye clinic. Later on that day my daughters and I received the news that Derek has gone completely blind. Both of his retinas have somehow detached.

We have NO idea how this has happened. He is never left alone. He knows his way around our home - and the days leading up to when his blindness occurred we had been spending time at home with him as it was The Easter Break.

After numerous visits to the vet/eye clinic, it has been agreed that a surgeon in Penrith is happy to perform laser surgery on one of Derek's eyes on Wednesday 19th April. The approximate cost will be £7500 (not including consultation fees).

We do have Derek insured, however his insurance company advised that they can only pay £1000 towards his treatment, which I have already paid towards eye drops, blood tests, anti inflammatory tablets etc.

As a single Mum, my outgoings pretty much outweigh my income. And I'm always the last person to ask for help. But we are desperate.

Derek is a shell of himself. He sits on the sofa trembling. My daughters and I haven't stopped crying.

I will do whatever I can to help my little man. If you can even send 50pence, we would appreciate it so much.

Derek is too young to be blind for the rest of his life .

For what it's worth. Thank you in advance xxx