Veterinary college's Compassionate Care Fund helps save a puppy — and more

When Maybelline arrived at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital on a Saturday in February, she didn't look like much — a tiny 6-month-old mixed breed puppy, white with black spots, fighting for her life. 

She had parvovirus, commonly known as parvo. And it was bad.  

"Imagine the worst flu you've ever had in your life — that's parvo," said Bobbi Conner, clinical associate professor of emergency and critical care at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. "It's a virus that attacks rapidly dividing cells, particularly in the gut and bone marrow. The patients suffer from severe vomiting and diarrhea while simultaneously losing their ability to fight off infections." 

"She looked like a typical parvo puppy — pretty dumpy with a really high heart rate," said Kristina Lofrumento, the veterinary intern who admitted her. "We started fluid therapy right away, but we knew we had a fight ahead."  

For five critical days, the veterinary team worked tirelessly. They inserted feeding tubes, administered IV fluids, monitored vital signs — and hoped. 

Something about this puppy touched them all.  

"When I first saw her Monday, she just looked miserable — that classic parvo patient look," Conner said. "But she had one of those faces that just gets to you. We all wanted her to pull through." 

By Wednesday, a glimmer of hope emerged. Maybelline showed subtle signs of improvement. But then came the hard reality: The shelter faced an impossible choice.  

The money spent on one critically ill puppy could potentially save multiple other animals in need. Both the shelter and veterinary teams grappled with this reality while consulting on the best path forward.

"These economic euthanasias — when we could save them if we just had the funding — they're some of the hardest cases we face," Conner said. "We'd already invested five days of intensive care. The shelter had been incredible partners throughout, but they also have to think about all the other animals in their care. To stop just when she was starting to improve ... we needed to find another solution."  

That solution came through the hospital's Compassionate Care Fund. Created to help provide access to critical care for pets and their owners who might otherwise have no options, the fund stepped in to cover Maybelline's continued care. 

"She was like the definition of compassionate care because she had nobody," said Mariah Sands, a third-year veterinary student who coordinated with the shelter throughout Maybelline's stay. "The shelter and veterinary teams are her voice. We're the people that fight for her."  

For the shelter team at the Animal Care and Adoption Center (ACAC), Maybelline's case represented the difficult decisions they face daily.

"Over the last eight years, the team here at ACAC has worked tirelessly to build a reputation in the county as a safe and caring place for homeless pets," said Director Eileen Mahan. "We fight every day to provide an exceptional level of care for every animal entrusted to us, and take that responsibility very seriously. Maybelline was so very sick, and despite the financial burden we had already taken on for her care, she wasn't getting better. We thought we were going to have to make the difficult decision to euthanize. When the Compassionate Care Fund stepped in, we jumped at the chance to give her one last shot. We are so incredibly thankful that shot paid off, both for her and for the team that worked so hard to save her."  

The partnership between the shelter and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital exemplifies how collaboration can save lives when resources are combined with compassion. 

The impact was immediate — not just on the puppy's health but on the entire veterinary team's morale.  

For Ashley Hutchison, an ICU veterinary technician with 16 years of experience, the intensity of critical care at a teaching hospital is vastly different from general practice. 

"In my 12 years at a regular clinic, I maybe had to do CPR two or three times total," Hutchinson said. "Here in the ICU, we typically see multiple critical cases every week because we receive the most severe cases from across the region." 

The emotional toll of economic euthanasia weighs heavily on the veterinary team. Unlike human medicine, where insurance and public funding often cover critical care, veterinary teams frequently face the heartbreak of having to end treatable conditions due to financial constraints. 

Sam Scott, a fourth-year veterinary student who helped care for Maybelline, saw her remarkable transformation. 

"Each day she looked a little bit better," Scott said. "By Thursday, she was trying to run away from me during examinations — a complete turnaround from the sedated, suffering puppy I first met." 

"Sometimes we just need a win," said Conner. "This job can be tough when we're seeing these cases day in and day out, and not every patient makes it despite our best efforts. The team needed this one." 

For Hutchison, Maybelline's case highlighted the vital role of the Compassionate Care Fund. 

"It would have been devastating to get a puppy through all of this only to have to stop treatment when we were so close," Hutchison said. "The fact that we could get her through it was incredible." 

"You can't abandon your humanity in this field," Conner said. "You can't abandon your empathy. That's what gives us purpose. When we have a win this close, we have to fight for it." 

Thanks to the fund's generous donors, both large and small, and the unwavering dedication of the veterinary team, Maybelline is on the road to a full recovery. 

"I'd take that puppy home in a heartbeat," Lofrumento said. She's now ready to find her forever home, carrying with her the hopes and healing of everyone who helped save her life. 

The Compassionate Care Fund at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine helps provide critical care for animals in need. Learn more about supporting the fund.