Thomas' story

When young Naomi Burge started work experience at an animal shelter she fell in love with Thomas, an American Cocker Spaniel, and took him home to treat him to a change of scenery. Thomas made an instant impact on the Burge family and he never returned to the rescue shelter.

The family made the necessary financial provisions for Thomas’ care, including regular health checks with the vet.

Thomas was extremely happy in his new home, but the family soon realised something was very wrong. He began to walk into furniture and appeared not to be able to see very well. The local vet diagnosed cataracts in both eyes, causing almost complete blindness.

The family began to suspect that his previous owners may have abandoned poor Thomas for this reason – cataracts are known to be a hereditary problem in the breed.

Thomas was referred to a specialist. The cost for treatment was £1,512. For a family that relied on income support and incapacity benefit, it was an overwhelming amount of money. Naomi’s dad, Roger, said: "It was a real shock. Coming home in the car, no one said a word."

If a cataract is left untreated, inflammation inside the eye can lead to glaucoma or a detached retina. These complications can affect the success of the operation, so Roger had to make a quick decision. He decided to put the cost of the surgery on to a credit card – not a solution to the problem of paying such a large bill, but a way of delaying immediate payment.

An anxious Burge family discussed ways in which they could pay the money back. Luckily, there was a helping hand for the Burge family. Tailwaggers Club Trust heard about Thomas from his vet and agreed to pay a donation directly to the eye hospital to cover some of the costs.

The operation was a huge success and Thomas can now see out of both eyes. Roger said: "The morning Thomas went into the hospital, he had to be carefully led by a veterinary nurse. The next day, after the operation, he was leading the nurse. If Tailwaggers hadn’t stepped in to help, I don’t know what we would have done to pay the bill. Our family are so grateful for the charity’s support."