A DOG owner has made a desperate plea for help give her beloved pet a fighting chance in his cancer battle.

Rosie Keaney, 25, of Fortress View in Oswestry, has set up an online appeal to raise around £4,000 to fund chemotherapy for her seven year old husky-Labrador cross Casper, who has stage two T-cell lymphoma.

Casper, who Miss Keaney rescued from owners who could not afford to feed him, was taken to the vet around three weeks ago with suspected parvovirus.

But Miss Keaney – a learning support assistant at Derwen College – was given the heartbreaking news that Casper had cancer.

"He's basically my baby, he's my life and it (the diagnosis) has broken me," she said

"It took me at least a week and a half to say what he's got without crying."

Miss Keaney told how Casper had supported her while her a close relative suffered a stroke two years ago and further health problems this year.

Miss Keaney said that without the treatment, Casper three to six months left, but the treatment could give him "36 months plus".

The treatment will cost around £4,000 but Miss Keaney's insurance will only cover £900.

She and her partner Mike, a mobile engineer, cannot afford the treatment and have looked unsuccessfully for charity funding.

If the treatment does not work, she said that she would let Casper go.

Miss Keaney added that she would not have started the appeal if she did not think Casper would respond to the treatment.

"I don't want to ask people for money. But I'm in a position where I am extremely grateful to anyone who can help," she said

He's more than part of the family. He's been there though many difficult times and I want to give him the best possible chance."

To view the crowdfunding page, visit www.gofundme.com/to-pay-for-chemotherapy-for-casper