Small Dog, Big Impact
Tootie Larios and George (Mac) McCarthy with their dog, George
A wirehaired dachshund whose tail never stopped wagging and who often wore a fedora to appointments will live on in a big way through The George Fund for Internal Medicine at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, endowed by Tootie Larios and her husband, George (Mac) McCarthy.
The fund was “born out of gratitude” for the extraordinary care that the couple’s dachshund, George, received from Cummings School as he battled multiple disorders.
Larios and McCarthy welcomed George to their Massachusetts home in March 2017, to join their pack of three. Larios remembers that the adoption ad for the 6-year-old from Nebraska seemed like “a sign” as it read “Rescue George from Lincoln.” Not only is McCarthy’s birth name George, but he works for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
George embodied the best of the human spirit in a dachshund body. He wanted everyone to be his best friend, even when at age 10 he contracted anaplasmosis—a tick-borne disease—and developed severe diabetes, blindness, and signs of Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder. His primary care vet, Warren Fleming, D.V.M., V94, recommended consulting a specialist. Enter Orla Mahony, associate clinical professor at Cummings School, who is board-certified in internal medicine and has a particular interest in endocrine disease.
Mahony, who remembers George as a “wonderful dog with a great sense of style,” partnered with Larios, McCarthy, and Fleming. A continuous glucose monitor enabled Larios to report George’s blood sugar levels to Mahony; Mahony then calibrated the insulin dosage that Larios should inject from home. As George’s condition progressed, the team also included Cummings School experts in neurology, nephrology, and ophthalmology.
“The care we received was very special,” said McCarthy. “Cummings School is unique in that this level of care and concern is the standard, not the exception. Every patient gets special attention.”
George died in 2021. Larios and McCarthy explored several giving options before creating The George Fund to support clinical care, research, and teaching across internal medicine, with a special interest in anaplasmosis and Cushing’s disease.
Advances in human internal medicine, such as continuous glucose monitors, regularly cross into veterinary care, said Mahony, while knowledge gained in veterinary medicine can help people. Tick-borne diseases, for example, are a serious threat to dogs and people. “Anything we can do to identify and treat such diseases can benefit humans as well as animals,” she said.
Larios and McCarthy hope that the multifaceted George Fund will be far-reaching and inspire others to give. “If this fund can help veterinarians, students, researchers, clients, and most of all animals, then George truly will have been everyone’s best friend,” Larios said.