8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 30-APRIL 5, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Shea Treat was a senior in high school when she went with her mom to the animal shelter just to browse. They were still grieving for their previous dog, Athena, and didn’t plan to adopt. But they met a terrier-chihuahua mix (scrawny at the time, who later grew into a stockier build) who had one ear pointed upright and one floppy. She barked when she saw them, and went quiet upon being picked up. “My mom was like, ‘I can’t leave without her, there’s no way,’” Treat says. That was 12 years ago, and Bella has since become a part of the family. (They were later joined by Chloe, a leggier, younger chihuahua.) Fast-forward to 2022, when Bella developed a nasty cough. Treat was determined to get her beloved pup care, but she’d just lost her job, and her mom’s only source of income is Social Security. Treat was sitting with Bella in the waiting room trying to sort her options when someone at the vet’s office suggested she apply for funds from Max’s Helping Paws Foundation. Treat did, and was approved for up to $1,000. The vet billed the nonprofit directly for Bella’s care—which included an echocardiogram, revealing an enlarged heart, and subsequently a small tumor. The cough turned out to be minor, and she’s now taking medicine for it; the more major condition turned out to be the heart, which Bella has been treated for. “Even though she’s old, she still acts like a puppy,” Treat says. “She’s my baby.” In six months, Bella will go back for a follow-up on the tumor, but Treat is at least no longer stressed about the bills—her veterinarian has billed Max’s for $940.99. This was exactly the kind of support that Dyana Klein and Jonathan Fradkin envisioned in 2017 when they created the nonprofit, named after their beloved miniature pinscher. Despite a series of health challenges, including an adrenal tumor as a puppy, chronic pancreas problems, diabetes and eventually cancer, Max had a good life, Fradkin says: “He lived with parents that would literally do anything that was promoting a quality of life.” It didn’t hurt that Fradkin is a now-retired veterinarian, and that he and Klein were able and willing to invest in the dog’s care. After Max died, they decided to do something in his memory to help other animals with health issues. In 2017, that became the foundation which, after just six years, crossed the $1 million threshold in March in funds awarded to cover medical expenses of Monterey County cats and dogs. (Treat says she looks forward to a time when she can donate.) “The goal is to give every pet owner at least the ability to know what the problem is, what the options are,” Fradkin says. In his career as a vet, Fradkin became familiar with the consistently escalating costs of care and hard decisions for patients. An endoscopy for a pet uses some of the same equipment as for humans, inserting a camera into the gastrointestinal tract to view what’s inside on a screen—an expensive procedure that generally starts at $3,500, but is less invasive and less risky than surgery to slice open the abdomen and look inside that way. (It’s also kind of fun: “When I was practicing, it was one of my favorite procedures,” Fradkin says. “It’s like a living video game.”) One recent Max’s client was Bodie, a regular with his fisherman human at Wharf 2 in Monterey. Bodie ate a fishing line, hook and all. Bodie’s vet didn’t have an endoscope, so the plan was surgery; Max’s approved funds. Fortunately, by the time Bodie went in for surgery, the next morning a follow-up X-ray showed the hook was gone—“it came out in his poop,” Fradkin reports— which is the best-case scenario in what can be a fatal event for a dog. Still, the veterinary bills for X-rays and an overnight stay cost about $1,500. Bodie is back to fishing. “Families are making decisions: Do I go to the vet, or do I feed myself tomorrow?” Fradkin says. “We are not just helping pets, we are helping the people that love them.” Max’s Helping Paws Foundation is at 26388 Carmel Rancho Lane, Carmel. 704-6473, maxshelpingpaws.org. Puppy Love Max’s Helping Paws has given away $1 million and counting to help pet parents cover veterinary bills. By Sara Rubin Shea Treat with her terrier-chihuahua mix, Bella. A vet discovered Bella’s energy level was low not due to a cough, but an enlarged heart. She is now on medicine for the cough, has been treated for the heart issue and has gotten her energy back. “Do I go to the vet, or do I feed myself tomorrow?” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE The Pet Issue Breakthrough Men’s Community is a nonprofit organization founded in1987 to provide men with the skills to free themselves from non-productive, painful, or unworkable patterns in their lives. Donate at: www.breakthroughformen.org LIFE TOOLS FOR MEN Transforming lives and communities better dads, better partners, better friends This popular workshop fills fast. Next workshop begins April 27, 2023! For more information, email enrollment@breakthroughformen.org
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