Pomcasso: The little dog with a heart condition selling paintings to fund lifesaving surgery

A little dog's paintings are funding a $45,000 life-saving operation after it was diagnosed with a heart problem.

Glitter, an 11-year-old blue Pomeranian, was diagnosed with stage C mitral valve disease - life-threatening heart failure - in July last year.

To save her life she needs open heart surgery which can be carried out in Japan in September, by Dr Masami Uechi at the Jasmine Clinic. Dr Masami is one of the two vets who can carry out the mitral valve repair surgery needed - the other is Dr Daniel Brockman at the Royal Veterinary Clinic in Hatfield, UK.

Her owner, Brittany Echevarria, 29, needed to raise $40k to fund the surgery and the flights there - and came up with the ingenius astistic idea after being inspired by a painting chimpanzee.

Talented Glitter - nicknamed Pomcasso - paints custom art to sell and has raised a staggering $40,933, enough to cover the cost of the operation. However, Brittany now needs an extra $5k to cover the cost of shipping and paint supplies for Glitter's art.

Brittany, an event manager from Maui, Hawaii, said: "If you want a painting with your dog and you don’t want them to paint their pawprints, you can put the painting in a bag and peanut butter on the bag and let them lick it.

"We put organic peanut butter and a bit of organic coconut oil to let her lick it. I got the idea to sell it because I saw Limbani, a chimpanzee, whose painting was sold for up to $1,000.

"Glitter loves licking - people loved Limbani’s painting - I just figured if people saw Glitter and her story, they would be empathetic, it would touch people’s hearts and luckily people took well to it.

"We want to make it authentic for her. Once she creates it, I will go in and add some dusting of glitter on it. I will just sprinkle it on there, so that’s like her signature with her paw print on it.

"It's like a little masterpiece of her to say thank you to the people help saving her life.

"Why wouldn't people want to see an adorable little dog in a Picasso costume and creating a painting? I thought it would touch people’s hearts and luckily people took well to it.

"She is a little pomcasso."

Glitter was a present from Brittany's mum, Lisa Vasquez, 57, on Valentine's Day, 2012.

She said: "I named her Glitter because I wanted the fur colour to match her name, she is a blue Pomeranian, which is a rare fur colour for a Pom. It ended up fitting her personality so well.

"She is very sassy and very spoilt, and just like a princess. Glitter is a perfect name for her. She is the favourite member of the family. We make custom dog cakes for her birthdays every year.

"Glitter loves to give kiss. She loves to lick. Her favourite toy is Peep Marshmallow Bunny. Everybody loves her. She loves people, going to the beach and the park.

"She is always there with us when we go on vacations, shopping, dinner. She is like my best friend - we're inseparable."

Glitter was diagnosed with stage C mitral valve disease in July 2022. "It is a genetic disease," Brittany added. There are certain dog breeds that are prone to develop this disease, such as Pomeranians, like my dog, mini poodles, and Chihuahua."

"What stood out for me for Glitter was that she kept coughing - constantly coughing since 2022 June - which was actually due to the fluid building up in her lungs. She was panting excessively. She gets tired really easily and can’t keep up to her normal speed.

"She ended up collapsing while running around, that’s when I took her to the vet and realised it was really serious."

Glitter is also experiencing heart enlargement, which means her heart is getting bigger every day, due to the disease.

Brittany said: "We were told that she has MVD and to start planning to say goodbye because she only has eight to 12 months to live. I couldn’t believe that was happening. I made a big effort to be the best mum. I didn’t understand how this could have ever happened to my dog."

After visiting several other vets, Brittany was told Dr Masami Uechi at the Jasmine Clinic in Japan operates mitral valve repair surgery, with a 98 per cent recovery rate. She was told surgery was the only option for Glitter at this stage.

"Surgery... allows her heart to shrink back to the normal size and stop leaking fluid to make it function normally. The average cost of MVD surgery is $35,000 to $40,000."

Brittany started the fundraising Glitter in August last year and decided to sell Glitter's artwork in June 2023 to help the cause. They have since sold 200 paintings - each for $15.

They have raised $40,933 on GoFundMe through donations and the artwork - but they now need an extra $5k to cover the cost of shipping Glitter's artwork.

Brittany has been able to put down a deposit for the surgery in September and is grateful to everyone who supported them. She said: "I wish I could meet them in person and give them a hug and Glitter give them a hug.

"We are so touched that people want to see her survive and them having empathy for this little Pomeranian that they don’t even know. They are the most amazing, incredible kind humans that I restore my faith in humanity.

"At first, I didn’t know how I am going to get $40,000 and didn’t even expect to hit the goal, thought I will have to think of another way, yet we are here ready to go to Japan to do the surgery.

"It made me believe in miracles."