A PET owner is appealing for help to save his “gentle giant” companion.

Tom Kelly, 37, from Brighton, needs £3,500 to get his dog, Hunter, a desperately-needed operation.

Hunter, who is five years old, has an excruciated slipped disc below his neck which puts pressure on his nerve and has caused paralysis in his legs.

The rottweiler collapsed on Thursday, August 30, and has been unable to walk since.

Speaking about the incident, Tom said: “When I got back late from work he was lying on the floor and when I woke in the morning he was in the same place.

“At that point I knew something was wrong because he always got up to greet me.”

After some research, Tom found a surgeon who has said he can perform a surgery which will give Hunter the ability to walk again, by removing the disc that is putting the pressure on his nerve.

Tom, a freelance filmmaker, admits that his funds are already running dry, having already spent £2,000 on scans and tests for Hunter.

He says that he just wants his pal to be up and on his feet again and added: “He is a gentle giant and loves people. He is quite a character and very comical in his behaviour. He still acts like a puppy even though he is five now.”

He adds that he hopes the “power of the community” will help Hunter walk again, as the surgery has a 100 per cent recovery rate.

Tom has had Hunter since he was seven weeks old, and has raised him on his own for the majority of his life.

A Just Giving page has been set up to help raise the £3,500 needed for Hunter’s operation, with Tom urging the public to help him on his quest to get his beloved pet back running and playing. You can donate to Hunter’s Just Giving page at /www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/savehunter