The owners of puppy Storm have been left heartbroken after he lost his battle against canine parvovirus.
Owners Michaela Freeland and her partner Lucy Jacobsen, from Martlesham Heath, who are both health care assistants at Ipswich Hospital, have expressed their thanks to everyone who has supported them.
The 10-week-old border collie pup was being treated at a specialist vet's in Cambridge, where he sadly passed away on Wednesday night.
Michaela said: "We would like to put out there our sincere thanks to all and everyone who showed their support, through kind words and donations, during Storm's fight against parvovirus and sepsis.
"We will never forget all what you did for us as a family during this difficult time. It really shows how wonderful some people in the world really are. Our Storm peacefully passed away, with many of the nurses in ICU giving him plenty of cuddles, and that alone has left us with great comfort. He was pain-free.
"We wanted to do all we could for Storm, and you helped us do that with all of your support. We will always cherish the special few days we spent with him before he became ill. Thank you so much."
As costs mounted, a friend of family Gemma Parrish, set up a GoFundMe page to help them meet the vet's bills. She is continuing the fundraising, because there will still be high bills to pay, although these are now expected to be lower than the £8,000 they had been quoted.
The couple had only owned Storm for four days when he became ill, and Michaela said: "He went from being a bouncy, happy puppy to a very poorly one." He was treated by their local vet and an out-of-hours vet before being transferred to critical care.
The owners had taken out insurance for the puppy, but were told the insurers would not pay the bills because Storm became ill within an initial 14-day period.
They bought the puppy from a family in Essex, and Michaela said everything originally seemed legit, but they have since been completely unable to contact the sellers and became very concerned. Michaela said they had reported their concerns to the RSPCA.
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