Earlier this year, Dilbert the Corgi found fame online thanks to his big ears and general all round cuteness. Now his owners are turning to his fans in the hope they can help put an end to his pain.

Eastern Daily Press: Dilbert the Corgi from Norwich. Photo: Sian DaviesDilbert the Corgi from Norwich. Photo: Sian Davies (Image: Archant)

Back in June, Dilbert the Cardigan Welsh Corgi shot to social media stardom after a video posted to his Facebook account, of him having his ears wiggled, received over 100,000 views.

Today he is still making waves online, but now for a much more heart-wrenching reason, as his owner Sian Davies has been forced to create a Go Fund Me page to help cover the one-year-old dog's mounting vet bills.

Dilbert is believed to be suffering from a rare disease called ear-tip vasculitis, but further tests are needed to confirm his skin condition diagnosis.

On the Go Fund Me page, Miss Davies, a 24-year-old Aviva worker, reveals: 'We noticed what looked like dry skin on the tip of one of [his] ears. Little by little, his ear started to bald. The dry skin scabbed and started to bleed and nothing we did seemed to help it to heal. The vets started running tests to look for a cause, but as of yet we don't have one. He's on antibiotics for an infection he's got in the open sore but it's just getting worse, and it's started to become necrotic. Now it looks as if his other ear has started to go the same way.'

The corgi is scheduled to undergo a biopsy later this week, which will set his owners back more than £600, and from there it is likely they will incur other costs for further tests and treatments.

Miss Davies, and her partner James, both of whom live in Norwich city centre, have been the proud owners of Dilbert since August 2015, and until recently they had not had to worry about steep vet bills. However when trouble struck and they realised they had already reached their pet insurance limit for the year, the pair quickly became unsure as to how they were going to help their beloved pooch.

After trying to raise the money themselves, the couple realised they had to find another way to fund the procedures, so turned to the internet, and since setting up Dilbert's Fund on Monday October 17, have already raised £130 of their £1,500 goal.

Miss Davies said she has been overwhelmed by the support they have received so far.

'He's our dog and we love him but other people have clearly been touched by the story and know what it's like to have a pet and struggle with the vets bills,' she said.

'Wherever we go, people are always smiling and commenting on his unusual big ears. It's ironic that it's his most recognisable feature that's now getting attention for reasons we'd never want.

'Setting the funding page up wasn't something we ever imagined doing. We tried the stiff upper lip approach, trying to find the money somewhere ourselves but when it looked like the ends just weren't going to meet and we were going to become unstuck eventually, we realised that we had very few other options.'

She added: 'Seeing even complete strangers ready to help us is just incredible. I just hope that every single one of these people know that if they're ever in need, we'll do whatever we can in return. There really are some very kind people in the world.'

• If you would like to help Dilbert, visit www.gofundme.com/dilberts-fund-2uqtfx8