Hi, my name is Courtney, and I’m asking for help to save my beloved pets.

Over the last few days, six of my eight cats and my medical alert puppy in training suddenly became critically ill. The vets believe they have been exposed to an extremely potent toxin, with opioid poisoning currently being one of the leading possibilities, but the exact cause is still under investigation.

My puppy was outside the front of our home for just 30 to 60 seconds having a quick sniff when the postman arrived. Within an hour, he had become unresponsive. Since then, six of my cats have also required emergency veterinary treatment.

The veterinary teams believe the toxin was inhaled rather than eaten, and the severity of their symptoms has shocked everyone involved. We are currently waiting for the outside of our home to be tested to determine whether a dangerous substance is still present.

Heartbreakingly, one of my cats, Bean, didn’t survive. Two of my other cats have thankfully made significant improvements after being critically ill, but three remain extremely poorly and need ongoing hospital care. My puppy is also improving and is doing much better than he was when he first became unresponsive.

The Veterinary Poisons Information Service has been consulted, but because they have been unable to identify the exact substance involved, a toxicology examination will need to be carried out on Bean to try to find the answers.

I have already paid over £2,000 towards emergency veterinary treatment, but I have now completely exhausted my savings. Without funding, the vets are having to make incredibly difficult decisions about continuing treatment. Three of my animals are even being discharged earlier than ideal because I simply cannot afford for them to stay, despite two of them still showing clinical signs.

The vets caring for my pets have told me they have never experienced a case like this before.

My pets are family. They are everything to me and my children, and with another baby on the way, this has been the most devastating experience of our lives. Losing Bean has shattered our hearts, and I am desperately trying to give the others every possible chance of surviving.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small the amount, it will go directly towards their veterinary treatment, ongoing care, and the investigations needed to determine what caused this tragedy.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading our story, for your kindness, and for helping us fight for our animals.