Edna

Little Edna, a blind very old Shih Tzu, was found as a matted stray and taken to the shelter – she’d been there several times before and reclaimed by the owner. This time, the tumor hanging from her sternum was orange-sized and dragging on the ground, raw and ulcerated. The owner finally was convinced to release the dog and we took her immediately to surgery. The benign but very heavy tumor was removed, she was spayed, and we found demodectic mange causing constant itching and hair loss. The surgery was a success so she could learn to walk normally but clearly had back issues after at least 2 years carrying that weight around. We treated the demodex intensively, kept her warm and safe, fed her all she would eat – a lot! – and told her she was loved and safe now. Sadly, this poor little blind dog was just too worn out from years of pain to really recover and enjoy her life. We cuddled her as much as possible and let her go. The pain and suffering Edna endured was so unnecessary; if the surgery and treatment had been done earlier she would have had a good chance of recovery. We did our very best to help her and are glad that she got some relief from the pain at least. She’ll not be forgotten.