After a lifelong struggle and a near-fatal infection, one brave Labrador is finally on the road to recovery. Beloved “gentle giant” Jasper has experienced health difficulties since he was just two years old, which caused him to become overweight and in need of two full hip replacements. And after spending more than £25,000 on treatment for their adored pet, Carlisle couple Elaine Jakins and Steve Buckle were forced to ask the Cumbrian community for help – raising more than £14,000 since August 2020. To his owners’ delight, Jasper received a hip replacement in November, and a full elbow fusion in January. But his second surgery almost ended in tragedy, as the nine-year-old developed an infection that “nearly cost him his life”.