Bill and Eli
Bill has spent over the past decade of his adult life homeless, dealing with physical ailments, and unable to work.
The past few years have been better for Bill as he's had his best friend Eli Manning, a loving Pit Bull, by his side.
Living together in Santa Monica, California, Bill has relied on Eli to get him through some difficult times
We met Bill and Eli through The People Concern, one of the largest social service agencies in Los Angeles. Bill told our team of his genuine love for his buddy Eli. “When you’re on the street with a dog, you’re with them 24 hours a day. It’s not like you go to work and stuff and leave the dog at home, you’re with them all the time. When he’s barking, I know that’s water, that’s food, that’s bothering me - whatever it is you know because 24 hours a day you just know. It’s like living with your wife or girlfriend, but even more though because dogs really speak to you if you have the time to listen.”
Bill had been noticing that Eli’s eye was constantly irritating him, progressively getting redder and more swollen over the last few months, but he didn’t have the means to get him to a vet. Dr. Kwane examined Eli and was able to diagnose the issue as entropion, a condition in which the eyelid turns inward causing your eyelashes to rub against the eye’s surface. Entropion is best corrected through surgery. Bill was instantly discouraged because he knew that he couldn't afford to pay for this repair, but Kwane quickly assured him that our team would take care of it. Bill was overjoyed.
With further examination, Dr. Kwane came across several growths on Eli’s belly that concerned him. Eli’s light skin pigment put him at high risk for skin cancer and these growths could potentially be cancerous. Dr. Kwane suggested to get him examined further at a partner vet hospital.
A vet visit was scheduled a couple weeks later at Beverly Oaks Animal Hospital, and we were lucky enough to have the help of Dr. Antonio Pedraza to assist with the entropion surgery and testing of the growths. Thankfully, the growths tested negative for cancer, but still needed to be removed. Both surgeries were completed within a few hours and Eli stayed overnight before being reunited with an elated Bill. All this was possible through the generosity of Project Street Vet’s supporters.
