Owner-surrenders are unfortunately very common in shelters all over the country. Dogs are returned or surrendered for a variety of reasons, ranging from allergies in children to financial hardship to housing that does not allow pets to pure callousness.
Despite the fact that this is a common occurrence, a Dallas-area rescue was taken aback when a puppy named Hattie was surrendered. Hattie’s owners surrendered her to a local shelter in 2018, and she was suffering from a massive tumor on her left side.
The massive growth had apparently been occurring for the previous two years, and nothing had been done about it. Dallas DogRRR is a rescue organization based in Dallas, Texas. Rehab. Hattie was taken into Reform’s care in the hopes of giving her a better life.
Clearly, the rescuers were aware that this mass needed to be removed. They took Hattie to Vet Ranch, a shelter for homeless animals that provides veterinary care.
Hattie’s legs and ability to walk were affected by the extra weight on her side. Vet Ranch’s Dr. Karri was also concerned about the blood vessels and muscle on that side. Despite this, Hattie maintained a pleasant demeanor. Dr. Karri shared the following information prior to surgery:
“It’s just so sad to me that she’s used to just dealing with this.”
Surprisingly, the vets were able to remove the massive tumor, which weighed in at 15 pounds. That’s roughly half the dog’s weight!
Hattie’s body needed some time to adjust, but the brave and happy-go-lucky dog made it! On the other side, she had a foster waiting for her. In December of 2018, Hattie was finally adopted.
Vet Ranch has a video of her surgery and recovery process if you have the stomach for it:
Hattie can run much more easily now that she doesn’t have this “bean bag” of a tumor hanging off of her. She still has medical issues, but she leads a full and happy life with all the love and care she requires.
On Facebook, Hattie’s adopter wrote:
“She lives in a house [with] a yard, and has a giant fur sibling. She has free range of the house and sleeps in a king size bed every night. [Hattie] has had some challenges medically, but we go to the Vet monthly to keep her monitored.”
Hattie, who was once surrendered and looked hopeless to some, is now a happy, healthy senior dog with a family. Of course, veterinary science deserves credit, but the real heroes are the people who recognized that she deserved the best.
