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What if your canine companion wasn’t just your best friend? What if he was your licensed service dog and you depended on him for your physical and emotional well-being? What if he became gravely ill?
If you are Bryan Phukan, you do whatever it takes to care for the dog who has devoted his life to caring for you, even if that means incurring a $20,000 vet bill.
Bryan's service dog, Shadow, supports him both physically and emotionally. "Shadow has given me hope when I thought I lost it," Bryan said.
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Bryan adopted Shadow from his local shelter in 2002. He learned that Shadow had been returned to the shelter by two of his previous owners and was labeled a “problem dog” because nobody had taken the time to train him properly. From that moment on, Bryan devoted himself to Shadow, promising that he would always be with him, no matter what. After five years, and a lot of love, patience and training, Shadow became Bryan's licensed service dog and the bond between the two was stronger than ever. Bryan told UAN, “Shadow has given me hope when I thought I lost it.”
In August 2009, Bryan took Shadow, in for surgery to remove an 11-pound mass from his abdomen. The initial surgery was a success and Shadow appeared to be recovering well. But the wound was slow to heal and it soon became infected, sending Shadow to the emergency room for the second time.
In the ICU following his second surgery, only a feeding tube, round-the-clock oxygen and Bryan's love kept the droopy-eyed beagle-basset hound mix alive. The veterinarian gave Shadow a 50 percent chance of survival. Bryan was terrified he was about to lose his best friend and beloved companion.
With Shadow’s life hanging in the balance, Bryan contacted United Animal Nations (UAN) to apply for a LifeLine financial assistance grant. UAN undertook a special fundraising effort for Bryan and Shadow, and ended up awarding a grant of more than $1,000 to help Bryan pay for his beloved companion's urgent care.
Read more about Shadow's case from one of the veterinary technicians who cared for him:
UAN issued a LifeLine Grant of more than $1,000 to Shadow's urgent veterinary care, thanks to contributions from generous animal lovers.
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For over a week, Shadow stayed in our ICU. Our staff and doctors fought every setback to keep him moving forward. We weaned him off oxygen but his lungs worsened. We put him back on oxygen. His incision would not heal and started to re-open, due to his low protein, so we had to keep his whole body bandaged like a mummy. He developed a urinary tract infection, so we added more antibiotics. The antibiotics made him nauseous and gave him even looser bowel movements, so we started anti-nausea medications and slathered him with diaper rash ointment. Every day there were additional concerns for a positive outcome. Through it all, Shadow would wag his tail when you greeted him and lay his head down with a big sigh (sad, droopy eyes and big, floppy ears included) after all the poking and prodding was finished. Then, he would wait for us to pet him while he fell asleep. He was strong and brave and would just snuggle up whenever you sat with him.
Bryan was a trooper in his own right. He would visit daily and sit for hours talking quietly to Shadow. He told him that he believed in him and knew how strong he was, and he told him how much he needed him to get better and come home. Each day the doctors would give him an updated bill. He cashed in all his savings, applied for loans and wrote to every organization that offered financial assistance. He was determined, to say the least. "It’s not that money is not an issue," he would say, "because it definitely is. But, I believe in Shadow. I believe he can get better and I want to give him his chance.”
Shadow continued to improve and on a Saturday, about two weeks after his surgery, he was discharged. Watching him and his dad walk out of the hospital together was a pure moment of joy for us all and brought home the realization of what the power of love and medicine can do together. We provided the medicine, but Shadow and his dad provided the love and we are all much richer for it.
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