BULLET'S STORY
On September 19, 1992, I met Bullet at my local SPCA animal shelter. He was 18 months old and weighed 58 pounds. My first puppy! Siberians show up at shelters often - they are willful, high-energy and spend their lives on a quest to find a hole in the fence, a door that wasn't closed securely, a dropped leash... their wanderlust is insatiable! Shelters are now educating people about the personality of the Siberian before placing them. Yes, they are undeniably beautiful, but living with a Siberian requires a great deal of patience and humility as well as a sense of humor. As I read in a book about Siberians shortly after adopting Bullet, "If you want an owner-slave relationship with a dog, don't get a Siberian!" Bullet and I enjoyed many years of adventure. We traveled from home near NYC down to the Chesapeake Bay and up to Lake Placid for dog sledding. We hiked, trained, learned agility (both of us), bicycled, went camping and snow shoeing... he was a wonderful companion and a true friend. On July 17th, 2000, at 9+ years old, Bullet was diagnosed with late stage multi centric B-cell lymphoma. I was horrified, terrified, and determined that I would not lose Bullet without a fight. "NOT TODAY AND NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT" He had chemotherapy the next day and went into remission right away. Bullet had a chemotherapy protocol called VELCAP-L. The "L" stands for Long, and it was! Bullet had treatments every 2-3 weeks for 75 weeks (a year and a half). Modern chemotherapy protocols are only 16 - 25 weeks long. A shorter version of Bullet's protocol is now used (VELCAP-S), using the same chemo agents but runs only 16 weeks. During the course of his treatment, I often re-evaluated my decision to continue with treatment. I was committed to a promise that he would never suffer. He was the most perfect creature that ever existed. Bullet had chemo side effects but recovered each time. At times he clearly didn't feel well, but I believe he felt as I might if I had a bad cold or the flu. I decided, on his behalf, as we all must do for our pups, that as long as he was not in pain (in my best estimation) and as long as there was a good chance that the side effects would be short lived, he could tolerate a little discomfort. I developed a diet and supplement regimen for Bullet to give him the best chance of surviving cancer and chemo. Knowing that I was a medical animal writer, our wonderful veterinarian insisted that I must write a book to help others who have dogs with cancer. Through the book, "Help Your Dog Fight Cancer," Bullet's story is helping thousands of dogs with cancer and thousands of caretakers who are living with, caring for and loving those dogs. It's a primer, a crash course for the caretaker of a dog with cancer. The book has won awards and is the top selling book on canine cancer (for the layperson - the caretaker) at Amazon.com. I often thought about how very lucky I was to be able to pay for Bullet's treatment and how devastated I would have felt if I could not. In concert with the publication of this book, I founded the Magic Bullet Fund, to help people who have dogs with cancer but cannot afford to pay for treatment. On November 20th, 2004, I lost my sweet boy to renal failure. He was nearly 14 years old. Bullet was one shining moment that graced my life for 12 years, 2 months and a day. The Magic Bullet Fund is Bullet's legacy. With the assistance of people like you, the fund will give many more dogs a chance to survive cancer and follow in Bullet's big pawprints. Please read Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.

Please help us fulfill this dream by donating to the Magic Bullet Fund. Laurie Kaplan for Bullet This breathtaking, perfect creature was my inspiration and he is still. He is guiding me, from the fabled Rainbow Bridge, to help other dogs with cancer. Even now, he is barking instructions to me from atop a cloud at the Bridge. How could I not obey? I hope this is what you want, my sweet precious boy.

From Magic Bullet Fund Founder, Laurie Kaplan

Research projects and clinical trials abound in the field of canine cancer, partially because of the value that this work may have toward the cure, treatment and management of humane cancer. Ongoing projects and trials are conducted within the veterinary and medical communities. But to the caretaker of a dog with cancer, the primary objective in treating that dog is not to advance medical science. It is to spare or prolong the life of a beloved companion. The Magic Beullet Fubd brings the issue of canine cancer out of the laboratory, pharmaceutical company and the veterinary clinic and into the hone of the caretaker. Every day, thousands of people learn that their pet has cancer. Although 50% of our pets will ahve cancerin their lifetimes, most caretakers respond to the diagnosis with shock and despair. Caretakers are unaware of steps that can be taken to reduce a pet's exposure to cancer. They are uninformed about early warning signs that may be found during monthly at-home checkups and are uneducated about existing treatment options after cancer has been diagnoised. The fund's educational projects aim to inform caretakers about canine cancer prevention and to promote responsible guardianship, including regular at-home checkups and medical insurance plans.
The Magic Bullet Fund helps those hwo have made room in their homes and in their hearts for a canine companion but who do not have the resources to provide treatment for their pet with cancer. The fund helps those who would be heartbroken watching their pets be take by this disease without making an effort to fight it.