A distraught smallholder is facing impossible choices after being landed with a massive vet bill for her dog. Blossom, a Samoyed she was devoted to, fell ill suddenly and didn’t survive emergency surgery.
As her pet insurance covered only £3,000 of the £7,000 bill, she scraped together £1,500 from her savings. But to make up the shortfall she may now have to sell one of her prized Highland cows, plus some of her sheep and goats.
Zina, from Llechwedd in Conwy, said the situation may leave her short of money to pay for essential livestock feed over winter. Encouraged by her social media followers, she set up a GoFundMe appeal - but she worries it might still not be enough.
As she moved to Britain from Russia a decade ago, she asked North Wales Live not to reveal her surname. Being half-Ukrainian, her current woes have added to the stresses of having a divided family back home.
“I feel ashamed,” said Zina, 35. “I feel like I am putting my problem on others. I am self-sufficient on my smallholding, I don’t want to rely on others. But my followers wanted to support me, they said I should set up an appeal, so that’s what I have done.”
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She bought Blossom nine years and, in the absence of children, she came to treat her as a substitute. Zina has working dogs but Blossom was different: she followed her everywhere and often slept on her bed.
“She was not my best friend, she was more than that, she was my baby,” said Zina, who works part-time at Bodnant Craft Centre in the Conwy Valley. “I have no relatives in the UK, she was my only relative.”
Blossom was no trouble and had never suffered health scares. But out on a walk, she suddenly laid down and wouldn’t get up. The dog was taken to the vets who, according to Zina, initially diagnosed sunstroke.
“Her temperature was very high, it was 41.5C,” said Zina. “But I said it cannot be heatstroke, she laid down in the shade.”
![Zina with Blossom](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article27562017.ece/ALTERNATES/s615d/0_AFRDPW210823VetBill_02.jpg)
Scans subsequently revealed the true nature of the problem – a burst cyst on Blossom’s uterus that had gone septic, shutting down her organs. The vets said emergency surgery was needed but warned her the prognosis was not good and she might not survive anyway.
Zina was in a quandary. “I am very emotional at this moment, I have to make a quick decision, so I say yes,” she said. “How can I not give my dog a chance?
“I am overwhelmed, it is in the middle of the night, you have no time to think about it. I don’t have children, so she is my family. If your family member is sick, would you not do the same? Of course you would, you are not going to say no.”
After launching her fundraising appeal, Zina came under fire on social media, and from one woman in particular. “My generation were taught to manage their money,” she said. “Shocking how people lack the ability to take responsibility these days. Don’t go begging for others to pay it for you.”
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Hers and similar comments added to the grief and sadness Zina was experiencing already. “I don’t know this woman can say these things,” she said. “I thought £3,000 cover on my insurance was enough for surgery on a dog,” she said. “But £7,000? This is more than you pay for a person.”
From her 10-acre rented smallholding in Eryri (Snowdonia), she runs the 'Welsh cottage by Zina' page on Facebook. As well as showcasing her sustainable lifestyle, she runs weaving courses and sells a range of handmade rugs, cushions and bags.
Many items utilise wool spun from her own Welsh Mountain, Shetland and Soay sheep. In doing so she’s become an unlikely champion for British wool, even sending some home to her mother in Russia, where knitting skills are common but good quality wool is scarce.
Appreciating her skills and kindness, her Facebook followers quickly rallied to her defence. “Zina is one of the hardest working people you could ever meet,” said one. Another said she wanted to help because Zina always made herself available to help others.
![Zina is almost entirely self-sufficient](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article27562014.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_AFRDPW210823VetBill_03.jpg)
![To help pay her vet bill, Zina is working nights to spin more wool and make more peg loom rugs for sale](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article27562016.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_AFRDPW210823VetBill_05.jpg)
Since launching her fundraiser, almost £1,400 has been pledged. To bridge the gap, Zina is working nights to weave peg loom rugs and covers for sale. But is still might not be enough, leaving her with hard choices to make.
She doesn’t want to sell one of three Highland cattle: she’s attempting DIY artificial insemination in the hope of producing calves next spring. Highlands come in a variety of colours – Zina’s are blondes, just a shade darker than Blossom’s all-white coat.
On her smallholding, she also has hens for eggs, hives for honey, goats for milk (she makes her own cheese) and a polytunnel for vegetables and fruit. “I try to show people how I am self-sufficient,” said Zina, who now is urging others to check they have adequate pet insurance.
“But with livestock I must pay for winter feed. And the cost keeps going up! I am very careful, I plan what feed and money I will need for winter. Now this vet bill.... it has made things very difficult.
“I’ll be putting my cow on sale but there will be not enough to pay off whole bill. I may also have to sell some sheep and goats – I don’t have not enough left in my account to feed livestock.”
Despite some of the online barbs, Zina is grateful to the vast majority of people who are supporting her – for the messages she’s received and the money pledged. Writing on her page, she said: “ Life has proven to be extremely unpredictable and full of surprises both good and bad.
“I was shocked to the core by my dog’s sudden illness and death. Just a few hours between happy girl and then she passed away. Your kindness made my grieving lighter. I wasn’t alone with my pain. I feel your friendship and love. Thank you for being there for me.”
- You can find Zina's GoFundMe appeal here.
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