Lily Mae

Let’s take a look back at Lily Mae’s story. When rescuers were called to the scene they couldn’t even tell what they were looking at. She didn’t even look like a dog, but a strange animal with no face or legs. She smelled awful and was so badly matted that they couldn’t tell which way her body was facing. When she was brought in, vets saw her poor little face and how much of a critical state she was in. There was truly no mercy to be found in her condition.

Lily Mae was covered in numerous mammary tumors, her matts that were practically glued to her eyes with a viscous puss, and her nails that had grown back into her paw pads. She was found as a stray and she was bone thin from living in squalor. Her matts were so thick she needed to be sedated in order for them to be removed. When she was finally bare, the vets could see all of the many tumors that ran up and down her tummy. They knew right away she required a full mastectomy on her entire right side as well as a mass removal on her back to fully get rid of all of them. They also found that one of her ovaries amassed a huge tumor while the other one was full of cysts. They also realized she was blind after finally being able to see her eyes for the first time.

The fact that she had endured all of that until she was found was incredible! Everyone quickly learned that it was actually not at all surprising that such a strong dog like her endured all of the ailments and suffering that she did. Because after all of that she was still able to love and trust everyone around her at the end of it all. Lily Mae is still a trooper even now, and her little heart of gold shines as brightly as her spine does.

After her large mastectomy and mass removal surgery was complete, Lily Mae bounced back strong! This lovely lady had a new lease on life, and as she was approaching her ~9th year she was FINALLY able to relax. An amazing foster took her in with 2 other senior dogs and she was getting the treatment she so rightfully deserved. Still, given her age and all that she had been through we weren’t sure if she would ever get adopted. But, this foster was willing to keep her as long as needed so we knew she would at least always have a safe place to call home.

As time went on Lily Mae worked on adjusting to her foster life. She started receiving her medication for her eyes as part of a daily routine she would need to do for the rest of her life, and slowly but surely her long surgery scar began to heal. Her fur even started to regrow, but we made sure it was manageable this time. And even though chances of adoption were slim, we still put her little face out there regardless. We always kept in mind that this sweet old girl with all of her medical needs would be a POLA resident forever, and we were okay with that! Through all the trials and hardships this girl has been through, her amazing cinderella transformation was one for the books and we were happy to have her with us for the rest of her days. 

Well, weren’t we surprised when one of you stepped up and changed all that. That’s right! Not only did someone become interested in adopting her, but it was someone from our very own CUDDLY family! They had reached out to us and went through the entire application process. They excepted this sweet girl with all of her chips and dents, and they devoted themselves to being her new furr-ever family. We were ecstatic for her because after we verified them we knew they had the best of intentions for her, just like we did. We knew they would love and care for her, just like we did. Most importantly, we knew she would have a loving and safe environment to live out the rest of her golden years, just like we had always dreamed for her. 

It really was a happily ever after.

We could have never made it this far without you, and we know Lily Mae will be just as grateful for helping make all of her dreams come true.