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Schoolgirl with scoliosis walks ten miles to raise money for PDSA
Maisie walked for nearly four hours to raise money for PDSA, who helped save Rio's life.

Ten-year-old takes on fundraiser after charity vets saved family pet

A ten-year-old girl who suffers with scoliosis has raised £800 for pet charity PDSA after its veterinary teams performed emergency surgery on her family's Dalmatian.

Maisie from Wakefield, West Yorkshire walked ten miles accompanied by her family in order to raise vital funds for the charity. The challenge took the schoolgirl nearly four hours.

“We are so proud of Maisie and her incredible achievement,” said Maisie's mum, Leanne Proctor, “She decided to take this on herself after PDSA saved our dog’s life. She saw those long ten miles through and has raised an incredible amount to give back to PDSA for their amazing work.

“Maisie was diagnosed with scoliosis, a painful disorder which causes curvature of the spine, four years ago. She suffers with back pain on a daily basis which can make walking very uncomfortable. But she didn’t let that stop her and she carried on like a trooper.”

Maisie decided to take on the challenge after PDSA provided life-saving treatment for her family's dog Rio when he was found to have a urinary stone blocking his urethra.

Two-year-old Rio went through a complicated operation to unblock his bladder and allow him to urinate again. He was allowed back home after two days of intensive nursing care and, although he will need regular monitoring in the future, he is recovering well.

Mrs Proctor added: “We are all so incredibly grateful to the amazing PDSA vet teams for saving Rio – he means so much to all our family. There’s a big chance he wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for them so we really are thankful, especially during this already hugely challenging year.

“Maisie is so pleased that she’s been able to raise such a great amount already and we’ll continue to support the charity for the amazing work it does.”

Image (c) PDSA.

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Voting opens for BEVA Council

News Story 1
 Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.

There are five candidates standing for four available places on Council. They are:

  • Alexandre Triguino
  • Angela Jones
  • Beth Bryant
  • Holly Rees
  • Hugh Somerville
Full profiles for each candidate can be found on the BEVA website

Click here for more...
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In a risk statement, the Food Standards Agency said the presence of the medicines, including penicillin, make the milk unsafe to consume and 'may be a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to antibiotics'.

Customers who bought the product are advised to return it to the store of purchase for a full refund.