A dog has finally had his first hip replacement after over £8,500 was raised to cover costs.

Benji, a one-year-old mixed breed dog who was rescued in Northern Macedonia and sent to the island, was taken to Liverpool for the operation.

His owner, Stacey Cleator, started fundraising for the surgery on JustGiving six months ago and raised a total of £8,649.

Miss Cleator, from Laxey, said: ‘Thanks to all of his supporters, Benji had his first hip replacement done in Liverpool on January 25.

‘His surgery went well and he was able to come home a few days later.

‘He is now in recovery. Benji is on strict room rest for the next four weeks and all being well, he may be allowed to take a couple of 10 minute controlled walks a day there after.’

Though the hip replacement has been done, there are still further appointments to attend and in time he will need physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions.

‘There’s still a long way to go for poor Benji, recovery won’t be easy,’ Miss Cleator said.

‘He still needs a second hip replacement but I’m thrilled, with the generosity of his supporters he’s almost half way there.

‘Thank you all, dearly. You truly are wonderful people.’

Each hip replacement cost a minimum of £5,000 and Benji needed surgery on both hips.

Miss Cleator explained that all her savings were planned to go to the surgery but she had to rely on donations for the lump sum.

She adopted Benji back in August last year and having spent three to four days travelling to the UK, he arrived in a ‘great deal of pain and distress’.

‘He’s scared of almost everything and everyone,’ she said.

‘When he arrived at Heysham port he didn’t move an inch from the car park for over four hours.

‘Luckily, a couple with their dog came to help and finally we managed to get him into the ferry terminal.

‘He had to be carried onto the boat and sat terrified under a seat in the dog lounge throughout the journey. Everything was new to him.

‘He had never been walked before so the lead frightened him. He had to be carried off the boat and all the way back to the car.

‘It took hours to get him home and much longer to get him settled.

‘He seemed quite unbalanced on his feet, but we put that down to his long journey to the UK at first.’

After a few days, Miss Cleator and her family took Benji for his first walk and they heard his ‘hips clunking loudly with each step he took’.

They found out Benji has hip dysplasia.

From there, Miss Cleator set up the fundraising page for donations, adding: ‘I would like to give Benji a good life, a pain free life that all dogs deserve to have.

‘With him being found on the streets along with his mother and siblings back in North Macedonia, he hasn’t had the chance to experience what a happy dog’s life can be like.’