Case of the Month

In late October Laura Pierson’s bulldog, Baby, had a puffy ear.  So she took the dog to see her veterinarian, Dr. Wendy Brooks at Mar Vista Animal Medical Clinic.  “I thought the ear might be infected but it was just a blood clot from shaking her head,” Laura said.  “However, the doctor noticed a tumor on her abdomen.”

Laura, whose primary income is a Social Security disability check, did not have the resources to pay for surgery to remove the tumor.  Dr. Brooks told her about Angel Fund.   She applied and received a grant of $314.50, which was matched by the hospital and the surgery was scheduled.

When the procedure was performed, Dr. Brooks removed the growth she had originally found and a second tumor.   A biopsy revealed that the masses were cancerous. The disease had spread to Baby’s lymph glands.  The doctor told Laura that Baby was not likely to live much longer than six months but that chemotherapy could extend her life to a year.

That was not something Laura thought she could do.  “I opted not to do chemotherapy.  I couldn’t afford it and I don’t want to inject her with any chemicals.  But I definitely am going to keep on top of the progression [of the disease].

“I am in the process of changing her diet,” Laura said, and is hopeful that will help Baby live longer.  She has spent considerable time researching recommended diets for dogs with cancer.

“It’s uncharted territory for me,” she said.  Dr. Brooks, who has been Baby’s veterinarian all her 12 years, “is very respectful of what I feel like I can do and what I can afford to do.  She is my go-to expert.”

Laura’s reading indicated that she should not feed Baby raw foods and that cooked meat and vegetables with some supplements could be beneficial. “I’ve been trying to get her closer to higher protein, higher fat and less carbs in her diet with none of the additives like corn and rice.  

“If nothing else, I’ll be adding to the quality of her life,” she said.  “She’s my girl.  She’s my child. And she’s doing really well, actually.  She’s such a youthful dog.  You’d never know that she’s 12 years old.”

Laura, who lives alone in a Venice apartment, adopted Baby as a puppy.  About the same time, she adopted Whiskers, a Schnauzer mix.  “I’ve raised them like a family,” she said. Whiskers, also female, is a happy dog who is makings Baby’s life better, Laura believes.   

Laura was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2007, shortly before she adopted her two companions.  “They are my emotional support,” she said.  In recent years, she has worked part time as a personal assistant and a curator for a photographer.  She was working on a Ph.D. when she was diagnosed.

She finds living in Los Angeles challenging and has decided that she will return to Parkersburg, W. Va., to be near her family.  Her father suffers from Parkinson’s disease.  She plans to make the trip in her car with Baby and Whiskers.

Laura is grateful to Angel Fund – and to Dr. Brooks – for making Baby’s surgery possible. After the surgery, a member of the hospital staff “told me that Baby woke up from anesthesia wagging her tail, wiggling her bottom,” she said. 

“I thought that was a wonderful thank you to the doctor.  I got really excited when I heard that.”