Big Heart, Sweetheart…Kennedy Needs a Home

Picasso Veterinary Fund in Action! (December 2009)

In October, a little tan Chihuahua in a cute orange sweater was seen trotting along a street in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill section. Since no human was attached to him, a concerned passerby scooped him up and took him to a local veterinary office. The veterinarian examined the little fellow and immediately discovered he was in heart failure!

Because the ailing Chi required immediate medical intervention but was missing his owner/guardian, the vet contacted the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. The Alliance agreed to take the Chi, who it named "Kennedy," into its Picasso Veterinary Fund (PVF) program. As soon as Kennedy was stabilized, he was transported to Murray Hill Pet Hospital, a PVF partner in Manhattan, for treatment. A consult with a cardiac specialist and ultrasound at NYC Veterinary Specialists, another PVF partner, revealed that Kennedy's heart was twice its normal size and was pressing against his trachea.

Fortunately, Kennedy's condition, although extremely serious, was treatable. He was started on a heart medication and cough suppressant to calm the cough caused by the pressure on his trachea. The treatment is working, and the sweet seven-year-old Chi is improving. With continued medication, his caregivers at Murray Hill Pet Hospital expect the size of his heart to decrease and thereby eliminate the cough.

In the meantime, Kennedy is ready to be adopted. His new family will be one that is willing to continue his medications, probably for the rest of his life. Kennedy gets along well with people and other dogs…and what a sweet face he has! Oh, the tongue? No, he's not panting — he had some dental work done and lost some of his teeth, so now his tongue hangs out.

If you'd like for Kennedy to hang out with you for the rest of his life, he'd be delighted. He would be especially happy to be home in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with you! View Kennedy's Petfinder profile and contact us at picasso@AnimalAllianceNYC.org if you're interested in adopting him. Or to meet some of our other PVF dogs and cats awaiting new homes, please visit our adoption website.

Maybe you'd like to help us continue in the new year to give second chances to other homeless dogs and cats in need of critical medical treatment? It's easy – just make a gift to the Picasso Veterinary Fund of the Mayor's Alliance. Every dollar you donate to the fund pays for medical care for these wonderful animals. Won't you make a convenient online donation today?

Happy holidays to you from the Mayor's Alliance, Kennedy, and all the Picasso animals who this holiday season are either awaiting a new home or spending their holidays with their new families!