Facebook campaign hoped to fund operation

A labrador with a rare heart malformation may undergo human heart surgery following a Facebook campaign to save his life.

Nine-month-old Lycka was referred to the Montsouris hospital - for humans - in Paris, after vet surgeons said the operation to repair his ruptured artery was too difficult.

Surgeons at the hospital agreed to perform the operation for free, in order to save the young dog from being put to sleep. However, the operating costs for specialist equipment still amount to €3,000 (£2,400).

Lycka's owner, Christian Collin, who adopted the dog when it was abandoned at three months old, is unable to afford the bill, so the French Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) said it would cover 70 per cent of the costs.

The SPA launched a Facebook campaign for the remaining money, which it is confident will be raised in time for Lycka's operation date, December 20.

Orianne Vatin, a spokesperson for SPA, said: "This operation is not usually done on animals. So surgeons for humans will operate Lycka… The only technique that can save him uses cutting-edge technology and so is very costly."

Donations can be made via Lycka's Facebook page.