Mary Beth Boland, CVT

08/12/2026

Isla Animals needs a new washing machine! Can you spare a few dollars to help?

07/31/2026

07/29/2026

A little mid-week laugh to up your spirits! This is my kitty, DB. She absolutely LOVES her banana bed from ALDI USA!

DB was found as a stray in Philadelphia a few years ago. I'd always wanted a hairless cat and she was the perfect fit with my dogs and other cats. She requires some specialized grooming and has some breed specific health issues but she's a lovable goofball who I wouldn't trade for anything!

07/28/2026

Have you ever adopted a senior pet?

This is Daisy, I adopted her less than a year ago, from Frosted Faces Foundation. I was traveling from Philadelphia to San Diego for a conference and Frosted Faces had the genius idea to set up an old dog petting park in the conference hall. I met Daisy and her brother Joey and immediately started looking into the process of bringing them home with me. Frosted Faces made the process so easy! Their rescue facility is beautiful and a true example of what a rescue should strive to be.

Daisy is happy to be an East Coast lady. She has some obvious (and not so obvious) issues but is in overall great health. She is missing an eye and blind in the other. She needed all of her teeth extracted due to dental disease so her tongue hangs out. Don't worry, her faces gets wiped down daily. This picture was just taken first thing in the morning before her "tongue spot" was cleaned 🙃Caring for senior dogs isn't the most glamorous! But it is incredibly rewarding.

I submitted Daisy's DNA and she came back as EIGHTEEN different breeds. Would you like to take a guess as to what super mix she is? Hint: no, she's not an opossum as my mom has suggested!

07/27/2026

Tomorrow is spay & neuter day on Isla Mujeres. ✂️🐾

The surgery day is the part everyone sees.

The day before is mostly us wandering around asking, "Did anybody pack...?" 😅
Instruments? ✔️
Gloves? ✔️
Medication? ✔️
Tattoo equipment? ✔️
Paperwork? ✔️
Recovery blankets? ✔️
Coffee? ✔️
About fifteen boxes that somehow all have to fit in the vehicle? ✔️

By the time we arrive tomorrow morning, everything has to be ready. Once the first patient is on the table, there's no running back for the thing someone forgot.

Tomorrow we'll be back on Isla Mujeres for another free spay and neuter campaign thanks to , helping community animals, street dogs and cats, rescues, and pets from families who otherwise couldn't access these surgeries. SNPT is funding a total of 340 surgeries and we are beyond thankful for this opportunity.

We'll be sharing updates throughout the day. Wish the team luck... and hopefully we remembered everything. 🤞🐾

07/27/2026

I had the honor of being there for Viejita Chulita's intake at Isla Animals. She is such a lovely dog! Please follow their rescue to show your support!

Recovery is pretty boring. 🤭

People imagine rescue as one emergency after another, but most of the work happens after the exciting part is over.

For Viejita Chulita, life is pretty repetitive right now.

She gets her medication, eats, naps, has another bath, gets more medication, wanders around for a bit, and goes back to sleep.

We're sticking to the plan.
First, get her skin under control so she's comfortable and can eventually be around the other dogs. At the same time, we're treating her ehrlichia and anemia before moving on to the bigger jobs.

Once she's stronger, we'll repeat her bloodwork, tackle what will probably be a pretty major dental procedure, and then start looking at everything else that comes with being an old lady.

There's still a long road ahead.

But she's comfortable, she's eating well, and every week she's just a little easier to look after than the week before.

We'll take that. 💙🐾

If you'd like to come along for the slow, slightly boring, but very important part of her recovery, you can sponsor Viejita Chulita through our Healing Paws program. We promise the updates won't all be glamorous... but they'll be honest. 💙

https://www.islaanimals.org/adoptions/viejita-chulita/

07/27/2026

💔Has your pet been diagnosed with osteosarcoma and is soon to have a limb amputation? 💔

The PennVet Comparative Immunotherapy Program is working in conjunction with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to advance treatment options for both pets AND children with bone cancer. At the time of your dog's surgery, tissue samples will be collected to be sent to Penn and CHOP researchers. Though there will be no direct benefit to your pet, this donation will help research teams develop new targeted therapies against this awful disease.

If you would like to participate, a sample collection kit will be overnighted to your pet's veterinary hospital the day before surgery. It will include everything your vet's team will need to submit the samples to us - including pre-paid return postage.

For more information on participation, please contact Mary Beth Boland, CVT at [email protected] or 215-898-5098

(Attached is a picture of my beautiful girl Luna, who was diagnosed with aggressive extra-skeletal osteosarcoma within weeks of adoption. She passed away just four months after joining our family and her legacy has brought me to this point in my career.)

07/26/2026

🦴 Vet med friends, we need your help! 🦴

The PennVet Comparative Immunotherapy Program is working in conjunction with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to advance treatment options for osteosarcoma in both pets and children. Using leftover tissue from dogs undergoing amputation for osteosarcoma, CHOP researchers are creating 3-D organoid models - miniature versions of a dog’s tumor grown in the lab. These organoids allow scientists to:
🐶 Test multiple drugs on the same tumor
🐶Identify which treatments show the strongest response
🐶Generate more meaningful, cross‑species data
🐶Shorten the path from discovery to cure

Samples can be submitted from anywhere in the USA! The process is simple: you let us know at least 24hr before a dog's amputation surgery for osteosarcoma and we will overnight a sample collection kit. The kit includes tissue transport media, instructions, client consent information, and pre-paid overnight postage back to our team.

For pet owners who are interested in donating their dog’s tissue sample, just let us and your vet know and we can coordinate it. There is no treatment benefit to your dog, but you will be helping the fight against osteosarcoma in a meaningful and unique way.

If you're interested in participating or have any additional questions, you can reach out to:
Mary Beth Boland, CVT
[email protected]
215-898-5098

📬 Please share far and wide - we need as many samples as possible! 📬

07/25/2026

Last month, I was able to use some of my vacation time to travel to Mexico and volunteer with Isla Animals rescue. Our team performed over 100 spay/neuter surgeries over two days. Stopping suffering at the source and preventing litters from being born onto the streets is such an important part of both animal welfare and public health. I can't wait to go back and do it again!

https://www.islaanimals.org/

04/03/2026

The PennVet Comparative Immunotherapy Program is excited to announce a FULLY FUNDED clinical trial for dogs with newly diagnosed osteosarcoma.

We are investigating the use of engineered CAR-iNKT cells to delay or prevent the spread of osteosarcoma when given prior to amputation of the affected limb. These cells work by targeting a specific protein usually present in osteosarcoma.

Who may be eligible: Dogs suspected of having osteosarcoma based on radiographs and/or dogs with a definitive diagnosis of osteosarcoma based on aspirate/bone biopsy who have not yet undergone amputation. Dogs must not have any measurable metastatic disease spread and must be otherwise healthy.

What's covered:
🦴 Full study screening including general health lab work, chest radiographs, and bone biopsy to confirm osteosarcoma diagnosis and presence of the target protein.
🦴 Treatment with CAR-iNKT cellular immunotherapy.
🦴 Amputation, post-op hospitalization, and follow up care.
🦴 Standard of care chemotherapy with Carboplatin.
🦴 Regular recheck appointments including labwork and chest radiographs.

All clinical trial visits must take place at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia. The clinical trial is not able to cover the cost of travel or housing for participants.

For more information:
Mary Beth Boland, CVT
📞 215-898-5098
📨 [email protected]
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