Foundation Established To Aid Pet Owners
Foundation Helps Families In Hardship Situations
POSTED: 3:00 pm CDT March 27,
2007
UPDATED: 5:47 pm CDT March 27,
2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If your dog or cat suddenly got sick and required expensive medical treatment, could you afford to pay the vet?
Watch: Woman Establishes Foundation For Pet Health CareIt's a question that dozens of pet owners face each month in middle Tennessee.But help might only be a phone call away.A recent animal food recall involving 60 million cans of dog and cat food put pet owners across the country on alert and left dozens of families scrambling to treat their sick and dying animals.It's one of the reasons Carol Smock said she is glad she started the Brown Dog Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit organization to help people who can't always afford to pay expensive and unexpected medical bills for their beloved pets."We help families who find themselves in a temporary hardship situation at a time when their pet has been diagnosed with some type of major condition," Smock said.Smock said her own dog, a brown lab named Chocolate Chip, was diagnosed with stage-4 lympho-sarcoma.She had already spent $1,200 and borrowed another $800 from friends. A lack of funds made her weigh a decision."If he makes it through the weekend, do you want to do chemotherapy to the tune of about $2,500 more, or do you want to let him just live out his life, or do you want to euthanize him?" Smock said she was asked.Local vets said there are easily three to five cases every day where a pet needs emergency medical care, but the family can't afford to pay the bill."I had some friends once who had to put their dog down because they couldn't afford it. The dog needed his legs amputated and they couldn't afford the treatment afterwards,” said first-time pet owner Holly Brenneman.Former Murfreesboro Animal Control Officer Richard Perdomo said he thinks the Brown Dog Foundation is long overdue."There are animals out there that people own that sometimes require that medical attention, and any assistance that can be provided I think would be a blessing," Perdomo said.The Brown Dog Foundation also helps families in need who have rescued pets with pre-existing medical conditions. Click here to visit the Brown Dog Foundation Web site.
Watch: Woman Establishes Foundation For Pet Health CareIt's a question that dozens of pet owners face each month in middle Tennessee.But help might only be a phone call away.A recent animal food recall involving 60 million cans of dog and cat food put pet owners across the country on alert and left dozens of families scrambling to treat their sick and dying animals.It's one of the reasons Carol Smock said she is glad she started the Brown Dog Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit organization to help people who can't always afford to pay expensive and unexpected medical bills for their beloved pets."We help families who find themselves in a temporary hardship situation at a time when their pet has been diagnosed with some type of major condition," Smock said.Smock said her own dog, a brown lab named Chocolate Chip, was diagnosed with stage-4 lympho-sarcoma.She had already spent $1,200 and borrowed another $800 from friends. A lack of funds made her weigh a decision."If he makes it through the weekend, do you want to do chemotherapy to the tune of about $2,500 more, or do you want to let him just live out his life, or do you want to euthanize him?" Smock said she was asked.Local vets said there are easily three to five cases every day where a pet needs emergency medical care, but the family can't afford to pay the bill."I had some friends once who had to put their dog down because they couldn't afford it. The dog needed his legs amputated and they couldn't afford the treatment afterwards,” said first-time pet owner Holly Brenneman.Former Murfreesboro Animal Control Officer Richard Perdomo said he thinks the Brown Dog Foundation is long overdue."There are animals out there that people own that sometimes require that medical attention, and any assistance that can be provided I think would be a blessing," Perdomo said.The Brown Dog Foundation also helps families in need who have rescued pets with pre-existing medical conditions. Click here to visit the Brown Dog Foundation Web site.Copyright 2007 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.
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