I think we can all agree that senior pups deserve all the love in the world.
Even though they are old and don’t have as much energy as they used to, they still try to make our days full of love and happiness.
That is why we need to do everything in our power to provide them with the best life ever. Unfortunately, most senior pups don’t really have this.
Since not a lot of people are willing to open up their homes to older dogs, many of them are forced to spend their last days at shelters. Serenity, a Pitbull mix who was staying in a shelter in Arizona, was one of them.
It’s Never Too Late
Serenity was 12 years old when she was diagnosed with a mammary mass. Because of this and the fact that nobody wanted to adopt her, the Arizona shelter was forced to put her on the euthanasia list.
However, when a rescue from Scottsdale named Love Them All Sanctuary + Rescue heard about Serenity’s situation, they immediately opened up their door and took her in.
They were more than happy to provide her with all the medical treatments she needed as well as a happy and healthy home.
The Scottsdale rescue wasted no time and immediately placed her in surgery where the mammary mass was removed. In Serenity, it was identified as a bleeding melanoma tumor that had been hanging from her fragile body.
With all the incredible donations placed by loving hoomans, the rescue was able to cover all the costs of Serenity’s medical treatments.
And, since they knew she needed a loving family to help her rescue, the rescue placed her in a happy foster home.
One Day At A Time
A week has passed since this sweet girl arrived at her foster home, and as happy as she was, her doctor’s appointment gave her some hard news.
Her tumor had returned as malignant.
The vets are still unsure what the next chapter in Serenity’s story will be, but every single hooman around her is dedicating their time to make every single day full of happy memories, yummy food, and cozy naps.
I would like to take this opportunity to teach everybody a little something about Mammary tumors.
It is important to know that this condition is quite common in pups, especially unspayed females, as they are a prevalent form of neoplasia.
If you notice that your pup may have a mammary tumor, please keep in mind that only 50% of these tumors are cancerous, while the other 50% are non-cancerous.
Not all lumps mean your dog has cancer; only malignant tumors are linked to mammary cancer.
The recommended treatment for this diagnosis, and the best one, is surgery. But, as it was with Serenity, sometimes the tumor may come back after surgery. Luckily, more surgeries can be conducted in order to have your pup feeling healthy and happy like they once were.
So, if you notice something, please don’t panic and book an appointment at your vet!