When I first met Lily, she gave me a big smile despite a history of terrible cruelty and abuse. Animal control in another state had demanded the surrender of this elderly dog. But when they found she had malignant mammary tumors, a growth on her eyelid, and heart problems, they decided to put her down. A rescue group intervened and let Lily
stay at their house until I could pick her up.
Before taking her home, I took her to some specialists -- an oncologist, an internist, and a surgeon. After radiographs, a CT scan, etc., she was admitted for surgery to remove her left mammary chain, the cutaneous mass, and the eyelid mass.
All went well and soon I brought her home where she instantly made friends with the other special needs dogs and became a sleeping buddy for the special needs cats.
She was full of energy and joy, smiling her special smile, her tongue hanging out to the right (due to an absence of teeth on that side).
Here are a few photos of Lily and her friends...
Lily sleeping with Betty, a blind cat:
Hanging out in the window with her pal, Jason, a visually-impaired cat whose encounter with a car fractured his spine, torn off half his tail, and left him with permanent cognitive impairment and difficulty walking:
Spending time with Pandora, a dog born with one eye and a heart defect:
Sharing a secret with Pandora:
Napping with Persephone, a cat with profound neurological problems:
Enjoying the deck with Sirius, a dog with granulomatous meningoencephalitis, a progressive fatal disease:
In the 3 years she was part of our family, Lily and her smile lit up our home and our hearts with her love, her happiness, and her special sweetness.
Here's a link to the family of special needs dogs & cats who live in our home