Stray dog with large growth on face transformed after surgery, Louisiana photos show
A dog with a monstrous deformity atop its head is getting a second chance at life after one Louisiana community rallied to provide a surgical makeover.
The “swelling mass” was removed in a procedure done at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, according to Jefferson Protection & Animal Welfare Services. The parish is just south of New Orleans.
Before and after photos shared on Facebook this month show the canine is now doggedly cute, despite a large row of stitches between its ears.
The shelter staff named her Presley, though some in the community took to calling her Anabelle.
“We can confirm that the growth on her head was not cancer and she should recover beautifully,” the department wrote Dec. 16.
“Presley has a long road of healing ahead of her, but she has shown us all that she has the spirit of a fighter. Don’t the best fighters have the largest fan base? Well, with OUR community backing her, she will no doubt continue to heal and recover.”
The cause of the mass was not revealed.
Photos of the strange growth were first posted Dec. 2 on Facebook, when shelter officials reported Presley was caught wandering along railroad tracks in the Avondale area of Jefferson Parish.
She was “immediately” seen by a veterinarian, who discovered the dog also had a fractured leg.
The post ignited offers of financial aid from the community, with some calling the photo “pretty upsetting.”
“Oh my goodness, this is just heartbreaking,” Tim Allen wrote.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Jamie Smith Scaffidi posted.
The surgery at LSU also included placing pins in the dog’s back legs, which means physical therapy will be needed to help Presley walk again, officials said. Further leg surgery will also be done, but shelter officials said that can wait until she is stronger.
Costs are being covered in part by the nonprofit Drew Pet Foundation, officials said.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Stray dog with large growth on face transformed after surgery, Louisiana photos show."