Buttermilk
"This is Buttermilks story. Its not a short read or an easy one but its so worth it! There are so many other animals just like Buttermilk that need our help to reach their own happily ever afters!
Buttermilk was a transfer from Animal Care Services. When she arrived, she was emaciated and unable to walk on one of her front legs. There was an open wound and swelling; our veterinarian could tell just by touching it that the leg was badly broken. There was also a large, firm mass located on her chest and another mass on a hind leg. Buttermilk was also found to have pyometra (an infection of the uterus that occurs in unspayed females and is often fatal if left untreated). Not only that but she also tested positive for heartworms!
Surgery was immediately performed to spay her and remove the infected uterus along with the mass on her chest. Once she recovered from that surgery, the left front leg was amputated as it was too badly broken to be saved. Finally, her last procedure was to remove the mass on her back leg.
Both those masses were sent off to find out what they were. The one on her chest came back as a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. This is likely due to chronic exposure to the sun. White animals with little pigment are prone to developing skin cancer in areas heavily exposed to the sun! The mass on the hind leg came back as a mast cell tumor. This is a cancerous tumor but it was diagnosed as low grade and completely removed.
Buttermilks conditions didnt end there. Poor Buttermilk also has a collapsed trachea! The rings of cartilage along the airway from her throat to her lungs are weakened and can collapse causing her to cough in a way that sounds similar to honking goose! Luckily the collapse is minimal and can be fairly easily managed.
Buttermilk has gained back all of her weight and recovered from all of her surgeries. The heartworms have been treated. Shes finally, for the first time in a long time, healthy.
Despite all she has been through due to sheer negligence, Buttermilk might just be the happiest tripod you get to meet! Even though all the pain and suffering Buttermilk had to endure may make us want to cry, her always, always wagging tail and big grin never fail to make us smile. Keep smiling, Buttermilk. You deserve it!"