Vicky Pattison has shared that she has had a "very scary couple of weeks" and thanked fans for support as she explained how close she came to losing a loved one

Vicky Pattison has opened up about how "scary" the past few weeks had been for her. The star took to social media to share how she was feeling after her dog was left fighting for his life after falling ill.

The Geordie Shore star used her post to encourage dog parents across the country to trust their gut when it came to their pets. She posted a few pics of her with her dog, including one where she had fallen asleep next to him.

Vicky captioned the images: "A very scary couple of weeks. I’ve had a few messages from people asking why Max has been absent from my Instastories recently & I know it comes from a place of concern but honestly I just haven’t been able to bring myself to reply as it’s been a really horrible time.

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“A couple of weeks ago, max developed a bit of an upset tummy, which isn’t unusual for our sensitive little boy as he’s a greedy little scavenger & we have to watch him like a hawk. We resolved to take him to the vet if it didn’t get better the next day.

“That evening his health rapidly deteriorated- his stomach started to swell, he began to pant & then he lost the use of his limbs. Everything just happened so fast. We rushed him to the emergency vet & without an Xray they couldn’t determine exactly what was wrong with our baby but suspected it was either a tummy twist or a blockage- both would require emergency surgery."

She added that her it was early in the morning when she found out her dog had survived the surgery. "He was sedated & after discovering it was a blockage, prepped for surgery. At 5am we got the call that he was alive & it had gone well but we weren’t out of the woods.

“Over the next week we went back to the vets about 4 times as we just knew he wasn’t right- he was lethargic, struggling & clearly in pain. By the end of the week his wound was leaking what looked like blood to us & we were beside ourselves.

“He was put on a drip & an hour later we were called to say he needed an emergency blood transfusion & they couldn’t do it there. We rushed him to @theralphvetreferralcentre about an hour from us & over the course of the weekend he was given 3 blood transfusions as his red blood cell count was so low, as well as another emergency surgery to remove the infection he had contracted after his first surgery."

Vicky, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing this year, continued to say that she stayed at home for days and cried: “For a week we lay at home crying & worrying, convinced we’d lost our angel. But the incredible team at @theralphvetreferralcentre saved him & for that we’ll be eternally grateful.

“We visited every day, watching him so small & helpless was heartbreaking but our big brave boy is a fighter & eventually on Friday evening we were able to bring him home to his family where he belongs. We love you so much Max.. and we’re so grateful for you.”

She also encouraged other people with pets to act early if they felt something was wrong. “You know when something is wrong and you have to advocate for them as they can’t themselves.

“Secondly, find a good 24 hour vet in your area as you’re trusting these people with the lives of your family and that is something I can’t stress enough.”

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