A 10-week-old puppy taken to an animal sanctuary with a heart murmur is being rushed for emergency open heart surgery.

Border collie, Matilda, was brought to Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary last week and, even though sanctuary staff were aware of her condition, it wasn't until she was scanned they realised how severe her heart issues were.

Manager of the Edenfield sanctuary, Karen Weed, said: "You could feel her heart beating heavily just holding her. She had a scan on Thursday and we found she has the initial stages of heart failure."

Mrs Weed said that without surgery, Matilda, who came from a farm, will not survive.

She said: "She's now booked in for surgery which will take place in Birmingham on Monday. The surgery has a high success rate but it will cost around £3,000."

Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary relies solely on donations and they are now raising funds to help pay for the vital operation.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to help save Matilda's life can do so by visiting bleakholt.org