Case of the Month

All her life, Melisa has had a deep and abiding love for animals. Her family was the kind of family that took in every stray that passed their doorstep. Each member had a soft spot for seeing animals without homes and would often put food outside to provide meals for any poor creatures that might happen along. Although they loved many dogs, both strays and purebreeds, the entire family shared an especial passion for Argentine Dogs, the fire of which was kindled by Melisa’s parents raising litters of the breed since before Melisa was born. So when Melisa struck out on her own and moved to California to look for work, she decided to pursue fostering Dogs in order to help her beloved breed.

Melisa turned to Craigslist to find an animal to help. She came across an ad from an owner in Rancho Park and went to check out the situation. It wasn’t a pretty one. The female dog she met was in a pitiful condition. The animal had been kept outdoors exclusively, had never been exposed to other animals, and Melisa noticed ominous signs of skin problems. However, Melisa decided to take her to her studio apartment in Venice on the weekends. Melisa promptly started calling her Dog, Nena, (pronounced Nay-nah) and introduced her to all the wonderful energy available right outside their door on the Venice Boardwalk.

As time went on, Melisa noticed Nena’s skin condition worsening. She let Nena’s owners know that Nena needed to visit a vet right away, but from information Melisa gleaned, she ascertained Nena’s owners were not in a financial position to be able to take care of the dog properly. Melisa took matters into her own hands by assuming ownership of Nena with the hopes of giving her animal a new lease on life.

After Melisa took Nena to visit a vet for the first time, Nena’s skin got better, however, the dermatitis soon came back with a vengeance, and, in addition to the return of the skin issues, Nena developed some troubling masses that needed removal. Right on the heels of this bad news, Melisa got into a motorcycle accident resulting in spinal damage. She ended up having to wear a neck brace and had a very difficult time moving around. Having no friends or family around, Melisa turned to Nena for solace and support, and determined to do everything in her power to give Nena the medical care she needed.

Desperate for help Nena turned to Dr. Barry Baum at Center Sinai Animal Hospital.  It was there that she learned about the Angel Fund.

“The Angel Fund was responsible for giving me hope that maybe, just maybe, things were going to get better for me and Nena,” said Melisa. “People tried to convince me that since Nena was six years old, I should just put her down, but knowing the breed as I do, there was no way I was going to do that to Nena. The Angel Fund helped me put her back on the road to recovery. Although she’s on long-term meds because of the cancer, she’s nowhere near what she was like when I first brought her to Dr. Baum.”

Melisa is very grateful to still have Nena by her side. “She’s my pick up truck co-pilot, my 100 lb lap dog, and my best friend,” said Melisa.” Without the help of the Angel Fund, we wouldn’t have been able to turn her life around, so that she could still be with me today.”