Plastic Surgery for Puppy

   

            It’s been a rough summer for Wendy Cernansky.  She lost her beloved golden retriever, Quincy, on Mother’s Day and has been feeling empty ever since.  When her husband encouraged her to adopt another puppy, fate seemed to take a hand.  Wendy felt immediately drawn to the furry face in a Facebook post of a “special” puppy in need of a home.  The family was selected from dozens who applied; Wendy and her daughter, Malena, made the trip to Corapeake NC to pick up the newest member of the family: Malikai.

                Malikai was born on May 20, sharing his birthday with Quincy.  Wendy smiles with a tear in her eye, “It seems like Quincy chose him just for me.  He follows every step I take, just like she did.”  Without a doubt, the happy-go-lucky ball of golden fluff is a special guy – a special guy with special needs.  Malikai was born with a cleft palate.  This opening between the roof of his mouth and his nasal cavity makes the most natural thing in the world – eating – a difficult thing.

                Twice a day, sometimes more often, Wendy must use a special tool to clean food and other objects from the opening and she brushes his nose with water to make him sneeze out any foreign bodies.  He cannot drink from a dish, using a rabbit bottle instead, and is forbidden chew treats of any kind.  Keeping him safe, healthy, and clean is a lot of work – work that Wendy is willing to do for Malikai’s life, but there are dangers involved.  If food or some object is aspirated through the opening into his lungs, pneumonia is likely, and death is not unusual if this happens.

                Malikai is a lucky pup.  Dr. Alexander Reiter, Dpl, Tzt, the Head of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, has agreed to take him as a patient.  The surgery is not simple and the recovery will be long.  Mailikai will spend weeks confined to a crate and will have to learn to wear a basket muzzle to prevent him from damaging the rebuilt tissue while it heals.

                Wendy and her family are up for the challenge, but an obstacle they’re having difficulty overcoming is the cost: $3,800 -$6,000.  They are willing to make sacrifices and have asked for extensions to their credit limits.  The vision of the Ethel Fund Inc. is that no parent should have to choose between the needs of their family and the wellbeing of a beloved pet.  A grant has been made to help pay for Malikai’s surgery but the total cost is more than our organization can provide.  If you’d like to help, please send donations to: The Ethel Fund Inc., PO Box 1231, Somerset PA 15501 with “Malikai” written in the memo line of your check.

                The Cernansky family has long been involved with Golden Girls Pet Therapy and are now “paying it forward” by joining the Ethel Fund Inc. as active volunteers.  Malena is learning what it means to love and to be loved every day.  When asked what she thought of the people who were helping her puppy get his surgery, she beamed her beautiful smile, hugged her pup, and replied, “I think they’re great.” 

Rebecca is the President & Executive Director of The Ethel Fund Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to changing animals' lives by providing assistance in times of catastrophic veterinary need.  To learn more, please visit http://www.ethelfund.org or https://www.facebook.com/TheEthelFund.  You may contact Rebecca at rslindeman@ethelfund.org.

Phil Balko is the proprietor of Photography by Balko and donates his talents to the Ethel Fund Inc. as well as other community organizations.  To see more of his work, visit http://philipbalko.com/. You may contact Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com.

Paying it Forward

              Almost everyone who is familiar with the Ethel Fund, Inc. knows the story of Miss Ethel Jane Kerplunk.  She started life with only one good leg but, thanks to the generosity of strangers, friends, and an incredible medical team, she is now a perfectly happy, healthy, active German Shepherd Dog.  She now works as the spokesdog of her own charity and, with her owner and human friends,          pays forward the kindness she has experienced.

                The Ethel Fund, Inc. provides support to family pets with catastrophic veterinary needs, offers sanctuary to the pets of women escaping domestic abuse, and facilitates the pairing of service dogs to people with disabilities.  Though they participate each year in the Quemahoning Chillin’ for Charity and host a basket party, their biggest fundraiser is their annual dog show and family fun day: The Ethel Invitational.  This year’s event raised over $6,000 to further their work.

                Each year, the event grows and there are new dogs but, just as (if not more) important, the day is a time to visit with old friends.  Many of the recipients follow in Ethel’s footsteps in that they work to pay forward the kindness you who support the charity have shown them. 

No one witnessed the accident that broke five-month-old Eddie’s leg.  He may have fallen off the porch, become entangled, or played just a little too rough with the family dogs.  When his owner heard his cries, she wasted no time getting the pup to Animal Medical Center. 

Lizz is afflicted with bipolar depression and anxiety; Eddie is very much her emotional support dog.  His funny facial expressions and innate ability to respond appropriately to her needs – with either rambunctious play or quiet snuggles – help her more than any medicine.  Even as she became frantic with worry about how she could possibly pay for her children’s school supplies, heating oil, and groceries while meeting her obligations to her pup, Eddie ignored his own pain to provide comfort.

Eddie was fitted with a full cast and given a prescription for nearly six weeks of crate rest – a true challenge, as the exuberant pup wanted nothing more than to play.  Lizz dutifully returned each week to have the cast checked and refitted to his growing leg.  Of the Ethel Fund, she says, “Their support was unconditional and they helped me with Eddie without passing judgement.”  To pay it forward, Lizz joined the 2016 Chillin’ for Charity Team to help raise funds to help other pets in need.

From the very beginning, Cody, Kathy, and Randy Brant have been steady volunteers with the Ethel Fund.  This hardworking family gives much and asks little.  Their Labrador Retriever, Sarge, was afflicted with entropian, a condition that caused his eyelid to roll inward.  With each blink, his eyelashes would scratch the cornea, causing constant tears.  Kathy shed a few tears of her own when she learned that Sarge had been selected as the first (non-Ethel) recipient of assistance. 

Surgery has corrected the condition and Cody competes each year with Sarge at the Ethel Invitational dog show.  Careful breeding can mostly prevent the incidence of entropian.  One of the goals of the Ethel Fund is to educate prospective breeders on hereditary conditions and genetic testing.

Rista is an eight year old cat with inflammatory bowel disease.  She’s a very laid-back, much loved pet who spends much of her time napping.  The bills to treat flare ups of this lifelong condition and provide the special diet she needs added up to more than Stephanie could handle.  A grant from the Ethel Fund helped her get back in control of her finances. 

“The Ethel Fund means a lot to us.  We’re tight on money and every little bit helps.”  Stephanie hopes to volunteer at the Humane Society, cuddling cats, to pay it forward.

When Jon and his fiancé, Stephanie, were visiting NC, they stopped to help a dog along the highway.  Obviously ill, they took him to a veterinarian where he tested positive for heartworms.  They were told that, because heartworm is so prevalent in the area and shelters are overpopulated, any stray testing positive is automatically euthanized.

Jon and Stephanie couldn’t stand to see that happen to an animal that they’d already come to love.  The Humane Society in Somerset referred them to the Ethel Fund.  The grant they received was enough to get the pup (now named Roady to commemorate his finding) lifesaving treatment at Ebensburg Animal Hospital.

Jon now describes Roady as “a fat and lazy, much loved pet.”  Of the Ethel Fund, he says, “They were the difference between being able to save an animal and losing its life.”  Jon and Stephanie volunteered at the 2015 Ethel Invitational, where Roady and his friend won the Cutest Kid/Dog Combo trophy. 

To learn more about The Ethel Fund, Inc., please visit www.ethelfund.org.

Phil Balko is the proprietor of Photography by Balko, a full-service studio specializing in senior portraits, custom wedding , and lifestyle photography.  To see more of his work, visit http://philipbalko.com/.  You may contact Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com or (814)352-5327.