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‘Go Fund Me’ is a new fundraising site for personal causes and life events. Initially set up by Tony Warburton to pay for his dog Alfie’s pacemaker, the site attracts many users wanting to raise money for their pets, including a rabbit with a degenerative spinal condition.

The chief executive officer of Go Fund Me, Brad Damphousse, said the site has  safeguards in place to make sure the fundraising is for a genuine cause. Tony Warburton, for example, decided to name the vet treating Alfie, and keep donors up to date with his pet’s progress: “I wanted people to be able to check it was all true, Alfie the spaniel’s story was shared more than 3,000 times across social networks and the level of trust on the Go Fund Me site was very high because most donations will come from personal family and friends”. While ‘social proof’ may help potential supporters make informed giving decisions, the PDSA – which provides 2 million + free veterinary treatments for sick and injured animals each year – recommends pet owners bear in mind the long term costs of having a pet (veterinary bills, feed etc) and take out pet insurance to offset some of the treatment costs.