Inspiring Nina Update and Video

One month ago today, Nina was confiscated for cruelty from a home in North Memphis. She was living in an abandoned car on the property. She was emaciated and desperately in need of medical care. A tumor that weighed 13 pounds was hanging from her abdomen, along with two smaller, but still significant, masses.

When the Animal Control facility that took her in reached out for help with her case, Wright-Way immediately said yes and arranged for her to travel to our Admissions Center in Murphysboro, IL. When she arrived, she had a fever, a severe skin infection, and was in such overall poor health that our medical team could not safely perform the surgery to remove the tumors. She was started right away on pain meds, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics.

Unfortunately, COVID exposure struck our team in Southern Illinois at the same time as Nina’s arrival. To ensure that she could continue to receive the level of attention and care she needed, we sent her to our clinic in Morton Grove.

It was a nerve-wracking three weeks as we worked to get her strong enough to survive the surgery she needed to save her life. Like many others, we wished it were possible to immediately remove the giant mass, but Nina’s health was simply too fragile. The tumor was not only massive, but it was completely vascularized; it visibly pulsed with her heartbeat when she would sit and the tumor rested on the floor. She would not have survived the tremendous blood loss that such a surgery inevitably causes.

We did our best to balance caution and urgency by first reducing the infection and inflammation in her body and getting her weight up. Our staff veterinarians worked with a specialty clinic and both her oncologist and board certified surgeon to determine the best treatment plan. In addition, several blood panels were run before her surgery, and she was given a precautionary blood transfusion and 24 hours of IV fluids the day before.

Today, one month later, we are so happy to tell you that Nina is in an amazing medical foster home recovering from her surgery in peace and quiet. She is getting lots of rest, and she has a healthy appetite. She’s not fully in the safety zone as far as recovery goes, but every day she is getting closer and closer to a positive prognosis.

We have not yet discovered if there is an underlying cause to her poor health and her low red blood cell count, or if they were a symptom of the tumor itself. As more lab results come in, we will gain a clearer understanding of her actual condition without the interference of the tumor. In the meantime, she is learning to move differently, and her spine is slowly relaxing after years of flexing in order to balance the weight of the mass. She is wagging her tail and interacting with her foster family, and her spirit shines more every day.

Throughout this journey, you have supported Nina, and we can’t thank you enough. In doing so, you have kept our spirits up, too. It is not easy to take on heart-wrenching medical cases such as Nina’s, but we do so on a regular basis. We can do that thanks to your donations, your encouragement, and your willingness to join us in trying to build a better life for these animals.

Thank you.

(While COVID has touched our staff, everyone has pulled through and is doing well.)