Meet dude , he is a rescue foal that we took in at 3 weeks old .

we have been taking care of him for the past two months, providing special foal milk and feed so he can grow and develop without his mum.

Dude needs surgery for an umbilical hernia which he has had from birth.

we noticed it whilst treating him for lice and had hoped that it might start to close up. After seeking veterinary advice we thought we may be able to band the hernia .

Dudes hernia then started to grow larger, so we called out the vet . After examination we were told that it was too large to band and surgery was the only option .

Insurance is not an option as it is a pre existing condition from birth .

I have always said that my ponies would never have surgery but I feel that dude needs a chance .

He has come so far and he has become a large part of our lives as well as the children that visit the ponies .

He has a fantastic temperament and is a lovely well behaved boy , taking everything in his stride .

We would be very grateful for any help towards costs . Surgery is around £1200 + vat, transport costs are £140 to take him & collect . We will also need a few follow up appointments which we are presuming will be around £300.

Thank you .