Dawn’s Story… After The Win

Dawn was having a great time away, staying with her sister for a short break along with Minnie, her french bulldog. One Monday evening, Dawn received an email with great news – she was a winner of a Prize Paradise online competition! Dawn was shocked and reread the email a few times before she could believe it was true. She had won cash in that evening’s  online prize draw. £4,000 to be exact! Dawn’s excitement was short lived as later that night Minnie started acting strangely, not like herself at all. Dawn said: “She was not the usual lively dog we knew, and kept laying away from everyone, which was really not like her.” Dawn and the family planned to keep an eye on her overnight and if necessary take her to the vets the following morning. Unfortunately in the middle of the night poor Minnie woke up screaming in pain, so was rushed to an emergency vet nearby. The vet suspected a slipped disc – not that unusual for frenchies – so gave her pain killers and told Dawn to crate her and bring her back the next day for an MRI, to see if she needed surgery. Obviously this was an incredibly worrying time for Dawn, who was so concerned about Minnie, and also the rising cost of the surprise vet bills. Having lost her mum just months before, Dawn couldn’t cope with the idea of losing the fur baby that had helped her through that tough time. Dawn would do anything to help her dog. 

The next day Minnie was referred to the Queen Mother animal Hospital in Hatfield, but was already showing signs of  improvement as she managed to put some weight on her back legs, unlike the previous day. She underwent an MRI and thankfully the results were good! Minnie didn’t need surgery, thanks to the family’s quick actions the night before. Painkillers and time spent resting in a crate had saved Minnie from further treatment. 

Dawn was over the moon of course and felt immense relief. She knew that Minnie was on the mend, and the prize money from simply playing competitions online had covered the bill! After emergency treatments, consultation fess and MRI, the bill stood at £4,000. The exact amount she’d won playing Prize Paradise competitions: “I usually buy a few tickets then forget it. It was a complete and utter shock, winning it. Without it, I maybe wouldn’t have Minnie because I genuinely don’t know how I would have paid the vet’s bill without it. I wouldn’t want her to suffer.” 

Dawn still plays Prize Paradise’s online competitions and has won a few times since on instant wins. She says the £4k prize hasn’t made her feel like she less chance of winning, as anyone could have that lucky number to scoop the big prize. She is also keen to quell anyone’s concerns over the validity of our competition website: “I have seen some comments questioning if it’s real. It totally is. My win meant everything to me. Prize Paradise literally saved my dog’s life.”

Dawn’s story goes to show that it’s not always holidays and treats that people use their winnings for. Sometimes it’s literally a life or death situation. At Prize Paradise we are very dog-friendly and we couldn’t be happier that we helped Dawn and her family save her fur baby Minnie. We are happy to report that Minnie is doing extremely well and is back to her old self after her ordeal. We look forward to getting further updates!