Family needs money to save pet dog
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

HELP FOR MOMO- From left to right, sisters Chrissy White, 12, and Tori White, 15, and their stepbrother, Andrew Cervantes, 10, hold beloved family pet Momo. The family is raising money so they can get the rescued dog the veterinarian services it needs.

Andrew Cervantes was eating at a Subway in Burbank with his dad, Steve White, late last year when they saw a commotion near a dumpster outside.

Inside the trash receptacle, the two discovered a 5-week-old puppy, a black Laborador and pit bull mix.

Andrew, 10, and his father brought the dog home on November 25 last year.

The boy and his stepsisters Tori, 15, and Chrissy, 12, gave the new puppy a bath, and named the pooch Momo.

Now the Simi Valley family is trying to save Momo again.

To cure the dog from parasites and other illnesses, the family has incurred veternarian bills totaling $2,100, a cost the family cannot afford.

In an effort to save Momo from euthanasia, Andrew, Tori and Chrissy have begun collecting money to pay their dog's medical bills. So far, the youngsters have raised $341.

"We spent a lot of money and we still have to pay it off," Andrew said. "We need people to help us."

The day after Andrew brought Momo home, the family took him to the veterinarian because his stomach was bloated from parasites.

Momo, now 9 months old, felt better within a month, and started playing with Andrew's beagle puppy, Lucky.

But when the family returned from a trip to Idaho at the end of June, Momo was sick again.

He was throwing up and acting lethargic and depressed.

The next morning, the vet told the shocked family that Momo might die. Momo had a very low white blood cell count and had to eat a special diet of rice, baby food and cottage cheese.

"It was going to cost $1,400 just to run tests, and the doctor said, 'We don't know if he'll even make it.' And my kids started crying," said Andrew's mother, Cynthia.

Cynthia Cervantes, 31, recently gave birth to a baby, Angeline, and isn't working.

"We can't afford that- but I didn't have the heart to put the dog down," she said. "We couldn't afford to take him to a hospital. We came back home, and all the kids started gathering all their toys and they put up the website to raise money."

The family will take their dog back to vet on Monday, July 21 to try to figure out once again what's wrong with Momo.

"I hope he ends up being really healthy," Andrew said. "He's very gentle and fun to play with. We'll always stick by him."

For information on Momo or to make a donation, please visit http:/ /savemomo.googlepages.com.