Modi Heartworm Fund – Making a Difference, Saving Lives

When Anita Dash-Modi, MD, and her husband walked into Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter ready to adopt, they met a heartbreaking reality.

Dogs with heartworm — a completely treatable disease — were facing months of confinement in a shelter kennel while undergoing long, expensive treatment. Families who fell in love with them often walked away, not because they didn’t care, but because the cost and complexity felt overwhelming.

Dr. Dash-Modi and her husband knew that wasn’t fair. Not to the dogs. Not to the families.

So they decided to change it.

With a generous gift, they helped Friends of the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter create the Modi Heartworm Fund — a life-saving program that removes the financial barrier to adoption and gives heartworm-positive dogs something even more powerful than medicine:

A home.

Through this fund:

The entire cost of heartworm treatment is covered.
Dogs can recover in a warm, quiet foster home instead of a noisy shelter kennel.
Adopters can say “yes” to the dog they love without fearing thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Dogs can rest and restrict activity safely — which is critical during treatment — in a calm environment.

Heartworm treatment can cost thousands of dollars per dog. It requires strict activity restriction and careful monitoring. But with the Modi Fund, these dogs aren’t defined by a diagnosis — they’re given a future.

Already this year, two dogs have completed treatment, and four more are currently healing in foster homes. One of those success stories is Ghiradelli, a 2½-year-old American Bully who finished treatment and was adopted in January. Because someone chose to give, he got to leave his kennel behind for good.

That’s the ripple effect of compassion.

And the impact of your support doesn’t stop with heartworm care. Donations to FCCAS programs directly improve daily life for dogs waiting for homes:

$10 provides a Kong, treats, or Martingale collars — comfort and enrichment for stressed dogs.
$15 provides canned tuna for dogs with skin and food allergies.
$20 funds a Tug-n-Toss ball or Gentle Leader collar to make walks safer and more joyful.
$25 provides an Easy Walk harness.
$40 supplies special food for seniors and sick dogs who need extra care.
$65 funds a puppy playpen in foster care.
$100 provides a large Kuranda bed for a kennel.
$125 installs a privacy panel to help overwhelmed dogs cope with shelter life.