An animal rescue centre needs to raise more than £2,000 for specialist surgery for an orphaned puppy.

Matilda, an eight-week-old English Bull Terrier, is being cared for by Faversham charity Happy Endings Rescue Centre, but her conditions have baffled both them and local vets.

Surgeons first believed she was born with two bladders, but later realised she has a cyst in her belly which may have been caused by an injury.

Vet Andrei Uricaru from Toachim House said: “She is one of the most unusual cases we have ever seen.

“Initially I thought she had a ‘shortcut’ between her kidneys and her bladder but it is actually a cyst resembling a ‘fake bladder’. She also has a big scar and a hernia on her belly.

"Matilda is proving everyone wrong..." - Andrei Uricaru

“Most animals with such abnormalities should not have lived past the first weeks of life but Matilda is proving everyone wrong.”

The tiny, pedigree puppy, who also suffers from deformed leg, is not letting either disability hold her back.

Happy Endings co-founder Terry Kemp said: “We immediately took her to several vets in the area and none of them have ever seen a case like it. It’s an incredibly rare abnormality.

“However, because of her health and vitality we’ve been urged to pursue the corrective surgery which could give Matilda a normal, happy life.”

To donate to Matilda’s fund visit the charity’s website www.happyendingsrescue.org or phone 01795 530371.