Old North End Veterinary Clinic & the
Vet To Pet Mobile Veterinary Service
Paws4Peace aka: The Spooky - Shelby Sue Memorial Fund
Paws for Peace is a fellowship of 4-legged's and their 2-legged allies who support and learn from one another in the cause of communal harmony, locally and internationally. As Field Secretary of Paws for Peace, Sophia Pavlova, an 11-year-old mini-poodle, nurtures other creatures through her friendliness, compassion, and forgiveness. Members of this fellowship try to lick problems with loving kindness. They are always ready to lend a helping paw (or hand) to anyone who ails or feels lonely.
Dear Friends,
On the very day the results of Sophia’s biopsy became known (5/18), a kidney stone laid siege on Paul. Now, several emergency room visits, hospitalization, and three weeks later, Paul, following lithotripsy that required the insertion and eventual removal of a stent, is finally rebounding.
So, there’s good news all around: As Dr. Susan McMillan, Sophia’s vet, exclaimed, “Sophia is the luckiest dog in the world.” The splenic mass that was removed (the size of a big grapefruit) on May 7 is benign, and there are no signs that the growth spread to other areas.
We are immensely grateful to Susan McMillan, Sophia’s primary care veterinarian, at Old North End Veterinary Clinic and John Eustis, DVM, at Orchard Veterinary Hospital, who performed the complicated surgery, for their skill and care. Their professionalism, with follow-up calls and support to us even beyond the immediate emergency, is exemplary. They set a standard for health care that we wish for humans.
A number of you have asked about the costs of her treatment. Yes, they are considerable: over $800.00.
Thanks to Dr. McMillan and Becky Roberts, Practice Manager, Sophia received a stipend from The Spooky Fund. This was established in 2005 to help pet owners provide essential medical care for ill pets in times of financial distress. Spooky was an adopted stray cat. When she died of kidney failure, her owner made a donation to Vet to Pet Mobile to provide for indigent pets and their caring owners.
Of course, we do not want to deplete this philanthropy and are making a donation to the fund ourselves. We hope you do not take it amiss, knowing how your finances are strapped, that we are soliciting contributions for The Spooky Fund.
Small donations add up. We are appreciative to you for giving whatever you are able.
Checks, payable to Old North End Veterinary Clinic with “Sophia” written on the memo line may be sent:
Old North End Veterinary Clinic
P.O. Box 5785
Burlington, VT 05402
Attn: The Spooky Fund
For more information about this wonderful clinic, see http://www.oldnorthendvet.com
We often say to Susan and Becky, “We want you to be our family doctor.”
Love ~ Martha, Paul, and Sophia
The Spooky Fund was established in 2005 by a generous donation from one of our original Vet To Pet Mobile Veterinary Service clients. Spooky was an independent old stray cat, taken in after being abandoned near the university. He got to have a safe and very well-loved retirement. When he died of kidney failure after several months of in-home hospice care, Spooky’s owner generously made a donation to our clinic to help pet owners provide essential medical care for sick pets in times of financial need. The Spooky Fund was born.
Over the years, the fund has grown through the generosity of our clients and friends who have given money, pet food, and medicines so that others may continue to enjoy the love and companionship of their four legged (and a few three legged) friends. Some other very generous clients have made large donations, one just out of the blue in the winter of 2008, and two others in memory of their recently deceased companions, Fuzzy and Medo.
One of our greatest success stories happened in May 2008. Sophia, a delightful little poodle, was found to have a large abdominal mass. She needed exploratory surgery. She went into the surgery weighing thirteen pounds and emerged having lost a three pound tumor (her spleen). Fortunately, the biopsy revealed that it was not malignant. We knew that the cost of surgery was beyond Sophia’s owner’s financial ability. The Spooky Fund provided the assistance required so Sophia could go to surgery. Now, Sophia visits us regularly on her neighborhood walks and her happy and forgiving demeanor is always a pleasure to behold.
Sophia’s owners have made it their purpose to help keep the Spooky Fund alive and, with the help of many bighearted friends, have helped to restore the fund to a place where we can continue to offer assistance. To date, we have financially helped nearly three dozen pets and their loving owners through some tough times. Many others have received free medications or food.
Recently, another benevolent client lost her dear Shelby Sue to diabetes. In honor of Shelby Sue, this kind soul has offered to contribute on a monthly basis, as her finances permit. In tribute to this commitment, we have changed the name of this fund to the Spooky-Shelby Sue Memorial Fund.
The fund is used at the discretion of the Old North End Veterinary Clinic and Vet To Pet Mobile to provide for needy pets and caring pet owners. The Spooky-Shelby Sue Fund is not a 501(c)(3) and donations are not tax deductible but greatly appreciated, and will always be used 100% for the benefit of our clients and their pets.
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