‘He’s an absolute godsend; he’s saved my life and Sugar’s.”
Suffice to say, Dr. Javaid Chaudhry will likely be at the top of Jacqui Feldman’s Christmas card list this December.
A few weeks ago, Dr. Chaudhry — resident veterinarian at Terra Nova Village vets — heard through local dog trainer Shelley Smith how a woman, Feldman, was suffering from terminal cancer and couldn’t afford to pay to have her 13-year-old poodle, Sugar, treated for a suspected tumour.
Without hesitation, Chaudhry told Smith to bring her friend to his Terra Nova practice and he would have a look at Sugar.
And last week, Sugar was recovering at home after the vet examined Feldman’s dog, took tests and then operated to remove a tumour from her abdomen — more than $3,000 worth of treatment and medications.
“I can’t say enough about him; he’s a blessing. He’s helping to save my life as well,” beamed a very grateful and understandably emotional Feldman, as Chaudhry checked over Sugar in his office last week.
“He’s given me hope and restored my faith in people. And if Sugar can fight through this, then I can keep fighting as well.”
Feldman said she’s known for almost a year that Sugar was sick, but she couldn’t do anything about it due to her own finances, her health and having to fly to Toronto to look after her sick, elderly mother.
Ironically, she had a tumour removed from her abdominal area herself in 2013 and went through chemotherapy all of last year. However, the cancer has now spread throughout her abdomen and more chemo and medication is needed to give her any quality of life.
Chaudhry, who did not seek publicity, said he was only too happy to help a person in their time of need.
“I told Jacqui I was ready to operate; if I didn’t, then the dog would die very soon for sure,” said Chaudhry.
“I could not stop myself helping her. I told her the operation might give the dog another year or so to live.
“No one else was going to look at the dog without getting paid and I understand that. But people in this world are crazy about money now. It shouldn’t be all about money, what about the people and what would happen if I didn’t help? It’s not the dog’s fault, is it?”
Feldman said having Sugar, and her other poodle Bocci, around keeps her family intact for a little while longer.
“They are my energy; they both attend to me. Sugar notifies me of stuff (by barking) and Bocci carries things,” she said.
“It means so much to have them with me.”
