... a small dog that the shelter volunteers named Millie, came into our care after being found in the parking lot of the Euclid Senior Center. Millie was just a puppy – approximately 9-10 months old, and as cute as a button.
After a routine visit to our vet, it was found that Millie had a Grade 5/6 heart murmur. Our vet advised us that Millie was too unhealthy to spay, and because the shelter did not have extra funds for specialized or emergency medical care, she was sent back to the shelter to live out the remainder of her days. Not wanting to accept the grim diagnosis of such a young dog, one of the shelter volunteers made the decision to take Millie to a cardiologist in Akron, OH to address her heart murmur and see if anything could be done. After an examination and echocardiogram by the cardiologist, Millie was diagnosed with Patent Ductus Arteriosus, a heart defect where the vessel that connects the arterial and venous flow in utero does not close because of the abnormality of the vessel wall. PDA typically results in death or congestive heart failure by 1 year of age. Surgery was Millie’s only option, and it needed to be done soon since she was already 9-10 months old and her life expectancy was just 1 year. Most animals that have PDA surgically corrected generally live a normal life span, and because of this prognosis, shelter volunteers decided to hold a fundraiser to try to raise the $2,500-$3,000 needed for her surgery. Millie would also need surgery to address her “cherry eye.”
Our supporters did not disappoint! Not only were we able to raise the money needed to provide Millie with this life-saving surgery, we raised a whopping $18,000! So, what do we do with the extra monetary donations? Hence, The Millie Fund was created.
The Millie Fund provides funds for emergency or specialized medical care, barring routine vaccinations and spay/neuter. When the shelter holds a fundraiser for a specific animal, and the monetary donations exceed the amount needed to pay for their medical care, those extra donations go into The Millie Fund so that we are able to provide for the next animal in need. Thanks to our generous supporters, The Millie Fund has been providing emergency and specialized medical care to animals, who would otherwise go without, since 2015.
As for Millie, the volunteer who fell in love with that sweet little Havanese pup back in 2014, and the impetus for her care, adopted her in 2015 after a 3-month recovery. Millie is now 12 years old, and lives on 5 acres in the county with her mom and dad, 4 canine siblings, and 4 feline siblings!
THIS is the power of your monetary donations! Thank you for all of your support!
