The three-month-old alapaca's future was looking uncertain after she suffered a broken leg in May, which then developed into a severe infection.

Sunny's owner immediately took her to a Kiama vet clinic.

After trying first to treat it conservatively with antibiotics and bandaging, the team found the infection had already progressed too far.

The only options were to amputate the leg, or euthanise Sunny. Kiama vet Tanya Mikosic said the latter just wasn't an option.

"We came so far with her leg and we really thought we had it better," Ms Mikosic said.

"It was really unfortunate that she had that underlying infection in her leg.

"The owners agreed putting her down wasn't an option, but they could no longer afford the fees.

"She has a gorgeous, beautiful nature and is really friendly and affectionate to people. It would have been heartbreaking to let her go."

Ms Mikosic launched an online fundraiser last week, so Sunny could have the lifesaving operation.

Sunny stole Ms Mikosic's heart, as well as the rest of the Illawarra community. The fundraising goal of $2500 was surpassed in only six days.

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Sunny since had surgery last week, and her future looks bright as she recovers happily from a property in Foxground.

Ms Mikosic said Sunny is with her mother, is eating well, and learning to walk around on three legs.

The vet clinic often performs amputations on animals, Ms Mikosic said, however it was the first time the surgery was performed on an alpaca.

"It wasnt a difficult surgery to perform, amputations do happen regularly and often happen due to infections that haven't healed, or due to cancer," Ms Mikosic said.

"But it went really well, and Sunny is walking well on three legs.

"She's coming in weekly for checks, and we'll just monitor her to see how she's coping."

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However, Sunny may be on four legs again in the near future, as Ms Mikosic said a prosthetic leg could be on the way.

"We've been in touch with a company from Victoria about a prosthetic leg, so we'll see how it goes," Ms Mikosic said.

Ms Mikosic thanked the community for donating generously to make Sunny's surgery possible.

"I was overwhelmed by the Kiama and Illawarra community ... I wasnt expecting that so many would come on board to support Sunny."

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