By Samantha Berkhead
News Editor
At the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Cattaraugus County, just north of Olean, a white, floppy-eared pitbull terrier with a rambunctious spirit bounds across the lawn.
He leads a simple life.
Nothing could make him happier than chewing on his leash or a McDonald’s hamburger. Cats are probably the only things he doesn’t like.
His name is Meatball.
Several months ago, veterinarians diagnosed him with lymphoma.
Lymphoma, one of the most common cancers found in dogs, primarily affects the animal’s immune system, according to caninecancer.com.
His condition is currently in remission, but if left untreated, the aggressive cancer will deteriorate his ability to fight off illness and will end his life.
However, members of the community will hold a spaghetti dinner to help raise money for Meatball’s chemotherapy treatments Saturday at St. Stephen’s Club in Olean.
Junior Kevin Smith and his classmates recently created an SPCA-affiliated group called WolfPack Warriors, which has been promoting the dinner around campus.
“We decided to work with the SPCA because we all love animals,” Smith said. “I’m always willing to lend a helping hand when it’s needed, I’m more than willing to do anything that’s asked for. It’s something we can all help out with because they really need volunteers right now.”
The SPCA found Meatball as a stray, and workers noticed signs of something wrong in his first days there, Linda Vane, an SPCA worker and Meatball’s caretaker, said. Pitbulls are especially prone to canine lymphoma, caninelymphoma.com says, and symptoms include swelling, lack of appetite, weight loss and fever.
“He was just running at large,” Vane said. “He’s been here five to seven months, I think. They said when they got him, he started swelling up really bad and then they found he had lymphoma.”
Vane said the chemotherapy costs have become too much for the SPCA, a donation-run organization, to fund, and she urges people to help support the cause by coming to the dinner.
“I started checking out the cancer, and they say the dog doesn’t die from the cancer, but from liver problems (it causes),” she said. “The treatment can be anywhere from $4oo to $600 every time he goes. He’s already gone through two months, and he has two more months left. He’s also on antibiotics. He handles his treatments really well.”
Vane said she became dedicated to helping Meatball recover from his sickness the day she met him.
“He looks amazing right now. He’s a great dog,” she said. “I’ve only been here two months. He had been in a medical room, kind of hidden away because he had just had his chemo. He was a lot thinner, but I fell in love with him on day one. My husband and I hope to foster him.”
Tickets to the dinner, which will run from 4 to 7 p.m., cost $5 presale and $7 at the door.
berkhesj10@bonaventure.edu
