After a life-threatening illness left her beloved Cavapoo Teddy fighting for survival, Lauren Juggler Crook turned to her community for help and was overwhelmed by an extraordinary outpouring of kindness
When our beloved Teddy collapsed, seriously ill at the start of May, our world fell apart. Teddy is a five-year-old Cavapoo, but he is so much more than a dog. After years of heartache trying to build our family, he became our baby. Every single bit of love we have is in him.
Within days of becoming ill, Teddy was admitted to the Royal Veterinary College hospital in an extremely serious condition. He had ingested something toxic and his stomach lining was severely inflamed and ulcerated. For two weeks he was on IV fluids, opioids, anti-nausea injections and seven different intravenous medications around the clock. There were days we genuinely didn’t know if he was going to make it. He missed his fifth birthday on 7 May. We missed him every single second.
The veterinary care he received was exceptional, but the bills were frightening. With costs expected to reach between £13,000 and £20,000, and our insurance covering £7,000, we were facing a potentially devastating shortfall. I have spent years fundraising for charities, helping raise tens of thousands of pounds for causes close to my heart, and I have never once asked for anything for myself. Setting up a crowdfunding page felt terrifying. Exposing. Wrong, somehow.
Teddy needed me to be brave. So, I asked. What happened next genuinely changed me. Within hours, donations began flooding in from friends, family, colleagues and complete strangers. People who had never met Teddy, who knew nothing of our story, gave generously and without hesitation. Messages of love and support arrived constantly, every single one read through tears. By the end of the first day, we had raised thousands of pounds. Ultimately, our community raised just over £6,000 for our boy. When we arrived at the Royal Veterinary College to bring Teddy home, we needed £3,500 to pay part of the bill before we could leave. That money was sitting in our account, put there by the kindness of people who simply wanted to help. We paid for Teddy’s freedom with love. I don’t think I will ever fully get over that.
We live in turbulent, uncertain times. There is so much division, so much noise, so much that can make you lose faith in people. It takes something like this to remind you that underneath all of it, human beings are fundamentally, beautifully kind.
Teddy is home now. He is gaining weight, responding to treatment and waiting for a final scan to confirm his ulcers have fully healed. He is our miracle. The people who helped bring him home are ours, too. To every single person who donated, shared or sent a kind word, you are our angels. Forever and always.
To support Teddy’s ongoing recovery, visit swvg.co.uk/teddy
