Nova

We’re doing the adoption happy dance folks.

Most of you know little Miss Nova. For those who don’t, let’s just say she was the Queen of our hot mess group when she came to MAIN. Nova had her many huge mammary masses removed and we’re so grateful that they were not cancerous. She was tested for tick fever, valley fever, and heartworm and this girl is negative for all. She also had her teeth taken care of.

After all her visits and tests and recovering, Nova is now great, fantastic, amazing, extraordinary, remarkable, and wonderful. Oh wait; she also ADOPTED a mom. The most perfect mom for her. You see, we had many inquiries from people who wanted to meet Nova. However, this little eight-year-old, ten pound Shih Tzu girl can be umm, well, how shall I say this? Nova can be a huge brat to other dogs her own size. We call that “little dog syndrome” and Nova has it. So, she needed to find the perfect forever home and she did.

Nova not only found the perfect mom but her mom found the most perfect Nova in the world. Congratulations to both of them.

This way too cute girl is Nova. When she came into MAIN she was a hot mess. Now? She’s ready to find a family to call her own.

Nova is the perfect name for her because it means, new day and new star releasing a sudden burst of energy. We knew she had to be tough to get through all of her issues and tough she is!

Nova had her multiple and huge mammary masses removed and they were not cancerous. She was tested for tick fever, valley fever, and heartworm and this girl is negative for all. She also had her teeth taken care of. She has bounced back after her surgeries and is ready to meet potential families.

Nova is an 8 years old, 10 pound Shih Tzu. She is great with other dogs. We don’t know how she is with cats. She is super sweet and loving. She loves her humans and her friends. Nova has been spayed, is up-to-date with vaccines, has a microchip, is licensed through Maricopa County, and ready to find her best family.

If you’re interested in adoption or have questions about Nova, please fill out our adoption application here: adoption application or email us at medicalanimalsinneed@gmail.com.

Past Update

Nova’s surgery went well. She was spayed (she was full of maggots we’ll spare you the photos) and one of the mammary tumors was removed and sent to histopathology. Her chest x-ray was clear, showing no evidence of metastases. Bloodwork was decent and she’s negative for TF, VF and HW.

Now we cross our fingers, pray and wait for the results that hopefully show no cancer. If she’s clear we’ll address her teeth and the rest of the mammary tumors next. The samples from the mass and the polyps also showed no TVT (transmissible veneral tumor) so that’s great news as well. She’s less swollen and she’s a happy girl.

Original Post: ** WARNING – GRAPHIC PHOTO **

We know the photo is graphic, but this is the reality we see every day. 

With that said, meet MAIN’s new girl. This sweet 8 year old Shih Tzu found herself at the shelter and in danger of being euthanized. She has a large (and we mean LARGE!) mass on her hind end…. this in addition to several mammary tumors AND horrible teeth. She definitely fits into our Hot Mess category.

When she came into the rescue, it was very possible that her tumors would be cancer because mammary tumors don’t play well with others. So, this girl needed to be a fighter and we knew she needed a strong name. Our rescue president put a request out to all fosters in our group. It took less than 30 minutes for a foster mom, Abi, to suggest the name Nova and the meaning of it. Nova means, new day and new star releasing a sudden burst of energy. PERFECT! So, let us introduce you to Nova.

Did we mention that she’s super sweet? 

Here’s our plan for Nova. We’re running bloodwork to make sure she’s a-ok for surgery as well as taking a chest x-ray to look for any metastases (since mammary tumors can be malignant). Then she will be spayed (THIS is why you spay!). While she’s under for spay the vet will take some biopsies of the polyps and the mass to check for TVT (transmissible venereal tumor). She will also remove some of the mammary tumors which will be sent to histopathology to see if we’re dealing with malignancies (cancer) or not. These types of masses are often caused by and fed by estrogen, and when you spay to remove that estrogen, in many cases the masses go away. That’s our hope. If not, we of course have a plan b and a plan c and so on…..

Nova came to us to be saved, to live her life in health, to make someone a wonderful companion, to be spoiled, to feel better, and to live her best life. We’ll do absolutely everything we can to fulfill all of those things for her. Welcome to a New Day, Nova.

Nova’s medical will not be cheap, but we were not going to let her die for something that, while it’s a mess (aka she’s a trainwreck), it’s quite possibly fixable. So here we are! If you’re able to help with Nova’s extensive medical expenses, we would be most grateful. Every single dollar you give goes to the dogs. 

Our PayPal address is medicalanimalsinneed@gmail.com. You can mail a check payable to MAIN to: PO Box 758 El Mirage, AZ 85335. You can also call donations of $25 or more directly into our vet, Bethany Animal Hospital, at 602-242-1657. Let them know you’re supporting Nova with MAIN. 

Please note that all donations are tax deductible. If you require a tax receipt, please message us with your email address after you have made your donation. For those that only require MAIN’s Tax ID number, it is 45-5178809. 

As always, any help is truly appreciated. Thank you all for being part of our MAIN Family.