JASPER, ALABAMA........One Man's Trash is another Man's Treasure. It is a saying that has so much significance when it comes to all of the animals that are discarded in this Country. Sweet Mary Lou is a beautiful Pitbull Mix that was discarded at the local shelter in Jasper, Alabama. She is around eight years old, has so few teeth that you might as well say she has none and has a massive tumor on the shoulder of her front leg. Healthy dogs don't get saved so Mary Lou's chance of getting out alive, was about zero.
Volunteers and other Rescue Groups do their best to get the animals some exposure to give them a chance to get out alive. Mary Lou needed medical care because the tumor on her leg had ruptured. Her chances were going down by the second. Once I saw her picture and heard her story, I knew we were going to be her only hope of getting out. Mary Lou became our latest discarded Treasure.
The Rescue transported her to Carolina Vet. Specialists in Matthews, NC where she could have surgery and be seen by our Oncologists and Radiologist. I was prepared to get really bad news and then I was going to bring her back to our Rehab facility, and she would be loved unconditionally in our Hospice Program. I felt certain with a tumor that size, it was cancer and had spread to other areas of her body. The good news was that the radiologist did not find any area of the body where the cancer had mestastisized.
Mary Lou spent all weekend in ICU preparing for her surgery on Wednesday. Her tumor had to be drained, and biopsies had to be done. She had her very own personal Team of Surgeons and Oncologists going over her body to make sure surgery was the best option for her once the biopsy came back. I am happy to report she was approved for surgery as long as the surgeon could get the bulk of the tumor since the biopsy came by Mast Cell Tumor.
Dr. Nanfelt spent several hours debulking the massive tumor during the procedure. The skin is very tight where the tumor was removed, but Mary Lou will have to stay in ICU to monitor for swelling to make sure the incision site does not open from tension. The next few weeks are going to be critical for this special older pup.
Mary Lou exudes Sunshine and Happiness. How anyone could turn her in to be euthanized instead of caring for her in her later years is criminal. She loves other dogs and thinks everyone she meets is her new best friend. We are so excited about welcoming Mary Lou into our Noah's Arks Rescue Family. We love, love, love her Gentle Soul.
Once she has healed from her procedure, we will then decide if she is a candidate for radiation if she did not have clean margins from the tumor removal. Fingers crossed for this sweet, sweet girl.
Please, Donate to Mary Lou's Medical so we can give her the best possible Medical Care. The World is a better place because she is in it and we get to Love and Cherish our new Treasure.
