My name is Gail, and I am asking for help with something I never imagined I would have to face.

On 18 August 2024, I lost Kestrel — the finest Working Cocker Spaniel I have ever bred, trained, or loved. His death was not inevitable. It was preventable. And it happened because the veterinary practice I had used for nearly forty years failed him in the most devastating way.

Kestrel was more than a dog. He was my partner, my pride, my joy, and the culmination of decades of careful breeding, training, and devotion. He was talented, gentle, intelligent, and had a heart that shone. Anyone who met him knew he was special.

On 16 August 2024, Kestrel suddenly became seriously ill. I rushed him to the veterinary practice I had trusted for decades, expecting the urgent care he needed. Instead, he was misdiagnosed, inadequately examined, and sent home — despite clear signs of a life‑threatening condition.

No one told me he might have septic peritonitis.

No one told me he needed emergency surgery.

No one told me he was in danger.

If they had, I would have taken him straight to an emergency veterinary hospital, where he was finally diagnosed correctly — but by then it was too late. He died on the operating table. The emergency vet told me that if he had been brought in two days earlier, he would “probably” have survived.

I have since learned that the first practice did suspect peritonitis but chose not to tell me. They later admitted they “didn’t want to worry” me. A senior vet also told me, in a witnessed call, that they had “let me down” and were “very sorry.”

Kestrel deserved better.

I am now pursuing a legal case to hold the practice accountable for their negligence — not only for Kestrel, but to prevent this happening to anyone else. But I am facing a huge imbalance of power.

The other side have a large firm of solicitors and barristers representing them, with what feels like endless resources behind them.

I am on my own.

I do not have their money, their backing, or their legal team.

But I cannot — and will not — give up on Kestrel.

He didn’t deserve what happened to him, and I owe it to him to see this through.

To continue the case, I urgently need to raise £2,500 to pay for a specialist veterinary surgeon to attend court and give expert evidence on my behalf. Without this expert, I cannot move forward.

I am retired, and I simply do not have this money.

I am fighting alone, and I need help.

How you can help

Every contribution, no matter how small, will help me continue this case and give Kestrel the justice he deserves.

If you cannot donate, please consider sharing this page — it makes a real difference.

Thank you for reading Kestrel’s story, and for helping me fight for the truth.

Gail