Pet owners turn to crowd-funding websites to help fund vet bills

DESPERATE animal lovers are tapping into the kindness of strangers to help save their pet’s lives, as crowd-funding websites help fund costly procedures.

Bethany is one of a number of people turning to crowd-funding to help pay for escalating pet bills. Picture: Mike Keating.

COULD you say no to this face?

Desperate animal lovers are tapping into the kindness of strangers to help save their pet’s lives as the internet provides a new lifeline.

From fluffy bunnies with eye problems, to shih tzus with torn ligaments, pet owners are now pleading for donations on crowd-funding sites.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you turn to the web to help fund vet bills? Do you know anyone who has? Tell us your story in the comment box below.

Veterinary bills can run into the thousands of dollars with Aussies having among the highest rates of pet ownership in the world.

Bethany Peterson, 19, successfully raised more than $1500 on mycause.com.au for her rabbit, Minnie, after she contracted a severe eye infection. The Hurstbridge teen, who works part-time, was faced with paying to have the eye removed, or eventually having to put her down.

She shared her crowd-funding profile on social media and help poured in.

“My little angel Minnie needs to have surgery to remove one of her eyes as she has an infection which, if left untreated, will eventually cause chronic pain and potentially even death,’’ she wrote. “It absolutely crushes me to know that I, alone, cannot afford the surgery required to save her.’’

Originally published as Pet owners turn to crowd-funding websites to help fund vet bills