The poor dog was diagnosed with an extremely rare skull tumor. Because of this, her former owners decided to abandon her at a very dangerous animal shelter near their home in Texas. Bliss was frightened and confused, and she was shaking in her kennel.
Fortunately, Friends of Emma, a rescue organization that takes in sick dogs, heard about Bliss’ story. They described Bliss’ rescue on their Facebook page:
“This terrified little girl came to us from our local shelter when she had an obvious and extreme cranial bone mass. Bliss, about 2 years old, is microchipped and had been waiting for an owner at the shelter for several days – but unfortunately, no one came to pick her up – so we stepped in to provide the critical care and treatment she needs.”
Emma’s friends brought Bliss to their rescue center in Fort Worth. Bliss was so happy to be out of the shelter! Emma’s friends thought Bliss’ tumor was fatal and they intended to give her a good home for the last days of her life. But then they ran diagnostic tests and learned that Bliss was not neurologically affected by the tumor.
Bliss was a happy, healthy dog who could potentially live for many more years if her tumor was removed.Upon learning this, Elizabeth Hart, the founder of Friends of Emma, immediately began researching how to treat Bliss’ tumor. She contacted veterinarians across North America and finally found the right person to treat Bliss: a cancer vet in Ontario.
The surgeon told Hart that he would remove Bliss’ tumor and part of her skull. Then they’ll replace that piece of his skull with a 3D-printed porous polyethylene implant from Australia. After that, Bliss will begin chemotherapy and radiation to prevent new tumor growth.
The Canadian surgeon and the Australian 3D printing company are now working together to create the perfect implant for Bliss. Once everything is ready, Hart will take Bliss on a 3,000-mile journey from Texas to Ontario. At the end of this journey, Bliss will hopefully be cancer free!
To help pay for this surgery and travel expenses, Hart created the YouCaring and GoFundMe pages. Everyone was amazed by Bliss’ touching story, and the campaign quickly reached its goal.
While waiting to move to Canada, Bliss has made a home for herself at the Friends of Emma rescue center. The sweet pup loves to play in the flower field near the rescue center. She has also found the perfect place to nap!
Bliss has been through so much in two years, but now there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Soon, Bliss will have life-saving surgery. Then she can live the rest of her life in a wonderful forever home!
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