Ludovic Pathoux, who came to the United States from France in 2002, adopted Apollo, a beautiful white Pit Terrier, that he saw being neglected by a neighbor near his Los Angeles apartment some nine years ago.
“In 2014, while I was walking my American Bulldog Georgia, I saw Apollo behind the fence of one of my neighbors,” Ludovic said. “He was lying in the sun for hours at a time and was left out both day and night. I spoke to the neighbor about Apollo and his risk of getting skin cancer because of his exposure.”
The neighbor told Ludovic that she would like someone else to own the dog. “Despite already having a dog and difficult finances, I decided to adopt Apollo,” Ludovic said. “I simply fell in love with him and wanted to rescue him from his neglectful owner, even though I should not have had two dogs in my situation.”
Ludovic and the two dogs moved to an affordable cabin in the San Bernadino Mountains not long after Apollo joined the family. A couple of years later, Ludovic moved to an apartment in Yucaipa with Georgia and Apollo. A year later, he said, “my beloved Georgia died of cancer.”
Six months later, Apollo had a mole-like cancer on his leg that was removed by a veterinarian. And a few months later, Apollo was diagnosed with a tumor on his spleen and a splenectomy was performed to remove it. Georgia had a similar surgery a few years earlier.
In 2022, Apollo was diagnosed with chylothorax, a condition in which lymph fluids leak from his thoracic duct into the space around his lungs. Dr. George Makar at Yucaipa Animal Hospital made the diagnosis. Apollo is being treated there about once a month through thoracocentesis, a process in which a tube is inserted into his chest cavity after sedation to remove the fluids. The treatments started a year ago at a cost approaching $750 a month.
“Fortunately the procedure does not worsen his health nor does it cause pain or suffering,” Ludovic said. But the cost of his dog’s treatment is worrisome. Ludovic has had difficulty finding work as an organizer, who can make sense of your garage, pantry or spare room. (His website is http://www.ludovicorganizing.com.)
“I am not working every day so it’s up and down,” he said, and his erratic income prevents him from doing a lot of things he’d like to do, though he gives his dog’s health priority.
With Apollo’s crucial treatments in danger, Ludovic found Angel Fund with help from the Yucaipa hospital. He applied for a grant and Angel Fund provided $1,000 for Apollo, which was matched by the hospital.
“I sincerely thank the Angel Fund and Dr. Makar for generously helping me with this financial assistance,” Ludovic said. “Apollo greatly enjoys human beings and despite the invasive monthly treatments, he loves to go to the vet and is very excited to be around the assistants and technicians who give him lots of attention.
“My unconditional love for him has motivated me to do everything I can to increase his life expectancy.”
One of the reasons Ludovic does not want to return to France is that he would not be permitted to bring Apollo with him, nor could he have taken Georgia. He is intensely loyal to his animals.
But he said: “I choose to stay in the United States because I am all right here.” And he said, some 22 years ago “when I lived in Paris, I wasn’t happy.”
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