Tiger Lily's End-of-Life Expenses
Donation protected
In May of 2015, I adopted Tiger Lily. She had ben surrendered to the Chemung SPCA as a stray after a good samaritan found her wandering the cold, wintry streets of Corning, NY. She was about 14 years old, horribly underweight, had a chronic ear mite infection that left her profoundly deaf, an aural hematoma, a subluxated lens with a cataract, untreated hyperthyroidism and had to be shaved because her entire coat was covered in dirt and mats. But when I met her, through the Junior Surgery spay program at Cornell, none of mattered. She climbed into my arms, nuzzled my neck and purred herself to sleep. She was beautiful.
I knew adopting a senior animal with multiple healthy problems would be a challenge, emotionally and financially. But Tiger Lily and I bonded so fast, I couldn't refuse her the best of care. As a vet student, I felt I had an additional duty to help an animal that needed long-term medical management, since I had access to more knowledge and resources than most. I took my Lily for radioactive iodine treatment in June, a significant but worthy expense to allow Lily to be more comfortable, reduce her blood pressure, and allow her to gain weight. Post-treatment, she truly started to blossom--her fur grew back beautifully, she put on 2.5 pounds, and was finally able to sleep through the night.
Tiger Lily faced another setback when her lens luxated, meaning it detatched from the fibers that held it in place within her eye. She was clearly in pain, and I took her to the emergency service to get her some relief. A luxated lens meant she was at risk for glaucoma and would require multiple eye drops, twice a day, to keep her pain-free. But she was so good for her eye drops, seeing her comfortable was all that mattered to me.
Last week, I suffered a devastating blow. I brought Tiger Lily into the hospital because she hadn't eaten in a couple of days and seemed to have some pain in her belly. Since I was a student, I got to stay while the hospital ran a bunch of diagnostic tests. Everything seemed relatively normal until her ultrasound. They found two cysts on her liver and fluid in her abdomen. The doctor put in a needle to sample the fluid, and when she drew back, it filled with blood. My heart sank. I knew that the tumors must be causing her to lose blood into her abdomen, and would explain why she was so painful. Our only choice was to go to surgery to try to remove these masses.
The doctors gave Tiger Lily a blood transfusion before rushing her to the OR. When they opened her up, the surgeons found her liver was completely invaded by an aggressive and insidious cancer known as a hemangiosarcoma. Despite the surgeons' best efforts, her bleeding could not be controlled, and I was rushed into the OR just in time to hold her in my arms as she passed away. After all the hardships Lily faced before coming to me, she only got to feel safe and secure in her forever home for four months before I lost her to cancer. My heart was broken.
During Tiger Lily's time with me, I set up an instagram account, both to share her with the world, and to help promote adopting senior pets. People on the app loved her, her sassy expressions, her boisterous meows, and her transformation from the scraggly street cat back to the beautiful longhaired tortoiseshell she must have been in her younger years. When I adopted Tiger Lily, I was in a deep depression and at a very low point in my life. Tiger Lily helped me heal as much as I helped her do the same. We were very attached to one another, and I feel like part of my heart left with her. I never questioned spending the little money I had on her--I would spend the rest of my time in grad school eating ramen every day if it meant Lily could be happy and healthy. But with this last bill, I am facing the heartbreak of losing my precious Tiger Lily and incurring a lot of debt in trying to save her. As a student the hospital already tried to help me as much as they could, which is why this is not a $5,000 bill. But they cannot operate for free, and I know that even though she's gone, the staff did everything they could to try and save her. Most importantly, I know she was kept comfortable and calm. All the doctors and technicians adored her, and were genuinely saddened by her passing. She was a very special animal, and taught me a great deal about forgiveness and unconditional love. I know I am still grieving now, but I hope with time I will be able to take comfort in the fact that, though our time together was short, it was full of love. There will never be another quite like my Tiger Lily.
I knew adopting a senior animal with multiple healthy problems would be a challenge, emotionally and financially. But Tiger Lily and I bonded so fast, I couldn't refuse her the best of care. As a vet student, I felt I had an additional duty to help an animal that needed long-term medical management, since I had access to more knowledge and resources than most. I took my Lily for radioactive iodine treatment in June, a significant but worthy expense to allow Lily to be more comfortable, reduce her blood pressure, and allow her to gain weight. Post-treatment, she truly started to blossom--her fur grew back beautifully, she put on 2.5 pounds, and was finally able to sleep through the night.
Tiger Lily faced another setback when her lens luxated, meaning it detatched from the fibers that held it in place within her eye. She was clearly in pain, and I took her to the emergency service to get her some relief. A luxated lens meant she was at risk for glaucoma and would require multiple eye drops, twice a day, to keep her pain-free. But she was so good for her eye drops, seeing her comfortable was all that mattered to me.
Last week, I suffered a devastating blow. I brought Tiger Lily into the hospital because she hadn't eaten in a couple of days and seemed to have some pain in her belly. Since I was a student, I got to stay while the hospital ran a bunch of diagnostic tests. Everything seemed relatively normal until her ultrasound. They found two cysts on her liver and fluid in her abdomen. The doctor put in a needle to sample the fluid, and when she drew back, it filled with blood. My heart sank. I knew that the tumors must be causing her to lose blood into her abdomen, and would explain why she was so painful. Our only choice was to go to surgery to try to remove these masses.
The doctors gave Tiger Lily a blood transfusion before rushing her to the OR. When they opened her up, the surgeons found her liver was completely invaded by an aggressive and insidious cancer known as a hemangiosarcoma. Despite the surgeons' best efforts, her bleeding could not be controlled, and I was rushed into the OR just in time to hold her in my arms as she passed away. After all the hardships Lily faced before coming to me, she only got to feel safe and secure in her forever home for four months before I lost her to cancer. My heart was broken.
During Tiger Lily's time with me, I set up an instagram account, both to share her with the world, and to help promote adopting senior pets. People on the app loved her, her sassy expressions, her boisterous meows, and her transformation from the scraggly street cat back to the beautiful longhaired tortoiseshell she must have been in her younger years. When I adopted Tiger Lily, I was in a deep depression and at a very low point in my life. Tiger Lily helped me heal as much as I helped her do the same. We were very attached to one another, and I feel like part of my heart left with her. I never questioned spending the little money I had on her--I would spend the rest of my time in grad school eating ramen every day if it meant Lily could be happy and healthy. But with this last bill, I am facing the heartbreak of losing my precious Tiger Lily and incurring a lot of debt in trying to save her. As a student the hospital already tried to help me as much as they could, which is why this is not a $5,000 bill. But they cannot operate for free, and I know that even though she's gone, the staff did everything they could to try and save her. Most importantly, I know she was kept comfortable and calm. All the doctors and technicians adored her, and were genuinely saddened by her passing. She was a very special animal, and taught me a great deal about forgiveness and unconditional love. I know I am still grieving now, but I hope with time I will be able to take comfort in the fact that, though our time together was short, it was full of love. There will never be another quite like my Tiger Lily.
Organizer
Aubrey Crowley
Organizer
Ithaca, NY
