Cotton's "tail" will touch your heart (promise!)

The girl with the waggiest tail. Cotton is just as soft and sweet as her name suggests. And her tail is always wagging. But this old gal was in dire straits when she landed at Saint Frances Animal Center in South Carolina at 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon.

Your gift provides the expert veterinary care homeless senior dogs arriving at shelters in tough shape often desperately need. Will you make a gift today to help more dogs like Cotton?

When they first saw her, the staff assumed Cotton was pregnant and close to term, since her belly was incredibly full and distended. Concerned, the medical team took X-rays. That's when the journey really began for this sweet girl.

Shockingly, Cotton wasn't pregnant; her abdomen was full of fluid. She was rushed into surgery to drain her belly. The vet had never seen anything like this: the fluid just poured out of Cotton, flooding the surgery floor. It was a miracle this gentle dog had made it to the shelter alive.

Cotton was not only alive and walking, but she was one of the sweetest dogs the staff at Saint Frances had ever met. Carrying all that extra fluid must have been tremendously painful, but Cotton came in with her tail wagging. She woke up from surgery with her tail wagging. She gave endless kisses to everyone with her tail wagging.

Thanks to a grant from Grey Muzzle, made possible by you, the medical team at Saint Frances had the resources they needed to get to the bottom of Cotton’s condition. Your gift enables senior dogs like Cotton to receive costly diagnostic evaluations, including in this case an echocardiogram to determine why her belly was filling with fluid. Oh, in case you were wondering—yes, even during the stress of all these tests, Cotton's tail kept on wagging.

Sadly, the tests showed that Cotton was in right-sided heart failure due to an inoperable tumor in her heart. The vets aren’t sure how much time she has left. But given her incredibly sweet demeanor, with the help of medication, they know she has plenty of quality of life left.

And so, the sweetest of girls went into "fospice" (a foster home providing hospice care) to live out the rest of her days—hopefully weeks or months—with a family who loves her dearly. Probably nearly as much as Cotton loves everyone she meets!

Your kind-heartedness brings us closer to a time when no old dog dies alone and afraid. Instead, because of you, more senior dogs like Cotton will know they are truly loved.

Cotton continues to take several medications to keep her comfortable and keep the fluid out of her belly, and she sees her vet for belly taps as needed. Saint Frances can give that specialized medical care thanks to Grey Muzzle, thanks to you. We couldn't be more grateful. Especially Cotton. We know her tail is probably wagging right now.

Please help make more "tails of comfort and joy"possible this holiday season. Give a gift today.