Daisy’s Day funds veterinarian care for pet owners in need
After he ran out of money trying to save his dog’s life, Roman Silvestre thought his companion would likely have to be put to sleep.
“I was considering euthanasia at that point,” Silvestre, of Sunnyvale, said Friday. He had spent $1,300 on his dog’s care — much of it borrowed — and his dog wasn’t getting better. “I even told my family that I might let him go.”
As a last-ditch effort in early August, he searched online for programs that offer assistance with veterinary bills to keep his dog in treatment. He had just learned that Charlie, his 4-year-old miniature schnauzer, had been diagnosed with hemolytic anemia, a disease that destroys red blood cells.
Silvestre came across Palo Alto Humane Society’s Pet Help program, filled out the application, submitted it and heard back in an hour. He was told to take Charlie immediately to an emergency pet facility and the Humane Society would pay for the visit.
“It was unreal, I was really surprised,” said Silvestre, who brings home about $300 a week as a part-time forklift driver for Fed-Ex and takes classes at Ohlone College in Newark.
The Humane Society will hold its second annual Daisy’s
“I’m definitely relieved and hopeful. He’s doing much better, his activity level is back to normal, and he’s eating fine . ... It’s an awesome program for aninal owners who really do care about their pets and are willing to do anything to help keep them alive.” — Roman Silvestre, whose dog, Charlie, was treated for hemolytic anemia through the Palo Alto Humane Society’s Pet Help program
Day, a gala fundraiser from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 16 at Vina Enoteca in the Stanford Barn, 700 Welch Road, Suite 110, in Palo Alto.
Proceeds from the fundraiser, which in its first year raised about $50,000, go into the Daisy Fund, which supports Pet Help, and a separate fund that pays for care of stray pets.
The money raised last year covered 77 percent of vet care it funded in 2017; the rest came from individual donations received throughout the year.
The nonprofit so far has paid for $1,500 in treatment for Charlie, and he is on the road to recovery. Silvestre said Charlie’s red blood cell count is “slowly climbing back up.”
“I’m definitely relieved and hopeful,” he said. “He’s doing much better, his activity level is back to normal, and he’s eating fine. … It’s an awesome program for animal owners who really do care about their pets and are willing to do anything
to help keep them alive.”
Palo Alto Humane Society has offered financial assistance for animal care dating to the 1930s, said Executive Director Carole Hyde.
But the Pet Help program received a large infusion last year when local resident Sue Klapholz bestowed it with a $10,000 gift to create Daisy Fund. The fund is named after Daisy, a dog Klapholz rescued and spent thousands of dollars on after it was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.
Hyde said 77 percent of pets in low-income communities never receive vet care.
The fundraiser will be hosted by Emmy-nominated composer and producer Philip Giffin, with live music by guitarist Em K, an auction, raffle, wine and a vegan lunch. For information about Daisy’s Day, visit https://bit. ly/2wxsnwG.