A SEVERELY ill puppy who racked up a six-page-long medical bill during her fight with parvovirus has returned home - after her owners feared she wouldn’t make it.

Despite being fully vaccinated, Lily the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was rushed into intensive care earlier this month, where she spent six days fighting for her life.

The five-and-a-half-month-old puppy was prescribed a host of medication, including a £1,500 “wonder drug”. She could barely stand when she was finally allowed home to recuperate.

She will now spend five weeks in isolation away from other dogs, to recover.

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Owner Karen Wagg, from Rayleigh, said: “Lily returned home a very thin and emaciated puppy. It was a very close call several times, but after six days in intensive care and at times being critically ill, she made it.

“Parvovirus is such a horrid virus and causes so much internal damage and pain. It is heart-breaking to witness a puppy going through the most awful pain and suffering, if indeed they have enough strength to fight it while the vets do everything they can to keep them hydrated.

“We thought we could really lose her.”

The family typically walk Lily throughout Rayleigh and once a week in John Burrows Park, Hadleigh. They fear their pup may have picked up the virus somewhere in those areas.

The virus, a highly infectious disease that can be fatal, attacks cells in a dog’s intestines and stops them from being able to absorb nutrients.

Karen, 59, added: “In the end, as well as the ‘wonder drug’, the only other drug to save her was one used on humans going through chemotherapy, so it’s incredibly strong. But among all the others the vets tried, it was the only one that stopped the vomiting.

“We’re just so blessed to have her back with us, how she got through it I don’t know. She has been told that she should now make a full recovery.

“We can’t thank everyone enough for all their support and also want to thank Vets 4 Pets, in particular all the dedicated staff at the Pitsea intensive care unit.”

With the hopes of making good out of an “awful” experience, the family are now hoping to raise money towards a wellbeing/sensory/eco-friendly garden at Rayleigh Methodist Church.

Karen, who attends the church, hopes the move will give back to the community which supported them through such a difficult time.

Funding will also be used to employ a family worker at the church to work alongside young families who need it.

Visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/karen-wagg-1