A DOG owner from York who is desperately trying to raise £13,000 to help her puppy continue to walk says she's now £2,500 off her goal.

As The Press reported in the Summer, Tracy Chadwick, 58, from Holgate in the city, says her 11-month-old Rottweiler puppy, Cooper, has had a tough start to life.

When he was just 13 weeks old he has been diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia in both his hips a painful condition which can drastically reduce a dog’s quality of life and is difficult for owners to watch.

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Tracy said it's now got to the point where Cooper can’t go for walks, he can’t play with his toys or other dogs including her other dog, a German Shepherd called Neeka.

Speaking today, Tracy said: "At the moment we are £2,500 off our target as a result of a GoFundMe and I cashed a pension as well as doing several raffles to get this far, but we are struggling to get the last bit

"Cooper is on drugs to manage his pain and is also having hydrotherapy twice a week.

"The cost is taking a massive amount from my wages and I don't know how much longer I can sustain these out goings as I am really struggling. It's taking almost half of my wages every month and I am finding it hard to do this plus pay all my bills so the sooner he has the operation really the better as without the pain meds and the hydro my only option is to have him put to sleep.

"My other fear is the cost of the operation going up in price, at the moment its still the same but prices of everything are raising, his meds have already gone up and I fear those will rise again aswell.

"Cooper has his good days and bad days some days he will walk for like ten minutes and others he struggles to get even a little way past the garden gate.

"We have tried so hard and are so near yet so far away.

"As you can imagine the bond between Cooper and myself is a strong one and the thought of having him put to sleep is just heartbreaking he's like velcro he never leaves my side and is such a sweetie."

York Press: Tracy Chadwick from Holgate with her Rotweiler, CooperTracy Chadwick from Holgate with her Rotweiler, Cooper (Image: Supplied)

Tracy, who is divorced, and works part-time as a cleaner at York Minster, said her pet insurance doesn't cover hip dysplasia.

She says she bought Cooper from a breeder who was a friend of a friend and until the vet's diagnosis she had never heard of hip dysplasia.

"What I would say to anyone out there thinking of getting a dog is to make sure your breeder has hips scores for the dog," said Tracy.

"Because hip dysplasia doesn't show up until the dog is about five months old, having a hip score is the best way to know that your dog doesn't have it."