Shirley

Shirley is a wonderfully sweet ten-year-old pitbull rescued by Young At Heart from an open admission shelter. Upon her intake exam, she was found to have a multitude of medical issues, several of which would require surgery. She needed to be spayed, have dental surgery and have two separate ACL tears repaired on top of normal senior dog veterinary care.

In addition, Shirley had a condition called gingival hyperplasia, which is an abnormal growth of excessive gum tissue. Her abnormal tissue growth extended into her soft palate, making it more dangerous for her to be put under anesthesia (because the tissue could potentially block her airway).

So that Shirley could safely have the future surgeries she needed, Young At Heart took her to a specialist to remove the excess tissue. Thanks to a Grey Muzzle grant, Shirley received this life-saving surgery to pave the way for her future treatments.

Shirley healed up great and even found a bigger bark with the excess tissue no longer blocking part of her throat! She is currently on medical hold while she completes the rest of her surgeries. But in no time at all, she’ll be searching for her perfect forever home.