Jeff de la Rosa's dog, Stu, which has been in impound by Los Angeles Animal Services for 5 YEARS has a very serious health issue.
Stu needs your help now to
1. Get the specialized treatment he needs to survive; and
2. Get home to his loving home with Jeff.
Instructions on what action needs to be taken will follow shortly.
Where is Stu now?
Stu was confined to the pound from Sept. 2005 through Oct. 2007. A compassionate Board of Animal Services authorized Stu to be moved to a private boarding facility , K9s Only, in Tarzana, California. He has been there for 3 years and only recently has the City permitted him to talk walks outdoors.
Stu's Medical Problem and the City hiding it from his owner
This month, Brenda Barnette, the new General Manager (Stu's 4th) of L.A. Animal Services, told Jeff that Stu has an "inoperable tumor" and that his condition is "very serious." The City has known this since April 2010 but never told Jeff. Stu has a tumor or polyps in his left nasal cavity which have been described as "a large destructive mass" by a veterinary specialist contracted by Animal Services.
According to researchers from the veterinary schools at Cornell University and UC Davis, these kind of polyps can be the result of fungus, allergy, genetics or as a result of chronic gingivitis (refer back to Jeff's 2009 fight to have this treated by a canine dentist . The City refused to do anything but a superficial cleaning of Stu's teeth which had been neglected for 4 years). No fungus or allergy has been detected and because Stu is a mutt of unknown breed, it is unlikely that he is genetically pre-disposed to this condition.
Treatment for this condition is not often surgery because of the difficulty of removal of these tumors. Radiation and drug therapy have been shown to shrink the tumors. Without that, on average, dogs live 6 months. It's been 6 months since the discovery of the tumor(s). With specialized treatment, dogs can live up to 2 more years. Dogs die because either the tumor becomes cancerous or it hemorrhages and the dog bleeds to death; or because breathing is so obstructed, by it's growth and destruction of tissue, that the dog cannot breathe. Currently, Animal Services Chief Vet, Jeremy Prupas, has only approved an anti-inflammatory drug to treat the tumor. No recent biopsy has been taken to see whether it is now cancer and no recent CT scan has been taken to see how much it has grown in 6 months.
1. That Stu's care be taken-over by a competent specialist, so that
Stu can have a new scan and the best possible treatment to save his life, paid for by the City of Los Angeles.
2. That Jeff de la Rosa be informed of all issues regarding Stu- as they occur.
3. That Stu be returned home immediately to live out his days in peace, where he belongs
4. That Stu's Law (Council File 09-1887) passed by Council on October 16, 2009 be immediately written by the City Attorney and returned to the Board of Commissioners.
Please stay tuned and get others to join this Cause. We are 851 strong but need many, many more.
FREE Stu!
www.causes.com
Stu is my dog who was wrongfully declared to be "dangerous" and I've been battling for 4 years to bring him home.
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