IT’S amazing the lengths some people will go for their pets.

And one Bampton couple are so desperate to help their canine pal Yohann they are totting up a £2,000 annual bill to keep him because of a rare illness.

The Pointer-Labrador cross suffers from epilepsy, which only affects about two to three per cent of dogs in the UK.

He has been taken ill countless times, but owners Paul and Kate Connor said they would not swap Yohann for the world.

The vet’s bills tot up to just over £10,000 a year but insurance covers up to £8,000.

Five-year-old Yohann was set to be trained to be a bomb detection dog for the army, but his health problems meant he never made the grade.

Now vets have told the family to keep him calm because any excitement could trigger a fit.

Yohann can also have a fit if he has too much exercise. Each fit can last up to 15 seconds, with four minute gaps between up to three fits at a time.

Mr Connor, 43, said: “He has been rushed to the vet in the middle of the night four to five times, but he now feels at home there.

“If you can’t break the cycle of fitting and you feel him getting hot, then you take the decision to get in the car and take him to the vet, where they give him general anaesthetic.

“He feels groggy for about an hour afterwards, then he always gets hungry.

“We can now see the signs if he is going to fit. He gets a lot more clingy and tends to follow you around.”

Mr and Mrs Connor, who do not have children, rescued the dog four years ago and he was diagnosed with the incurable disorder a month afterwards.

Mr Connor said: “I would not swap Yohann for the world, with expertise and caring by the vets he has come back to us.

“We will go for quality of life, instead of him being too poorly.”

Adi Nell, senior partner at vets Parkwood in Hensington Road, said: “It’s not a frequent condition, but it’s something that we see on a regular basis – we probably have 15 to 20 dogs with epilepsy out of a few thousand that are registered with us.

“It’s generally controllable and most dogs usually lead quite normal lives.”

He added: “Yohann’s quality of life is excellent. The fits do not hurt, dogs can be dazed afterwards but they are not painful.”