01/13/2026
💔 An Explanation of Martha’s Condition 💔
In March 2025, we were contacted by one of our shelter partners asking if we could take Martha and Miriam, a bonded pair of girls who desperately needed help. Both were extremely thin and heartworm positive, and Martha had a grapefruit-sized tumor on her chest.
That shelter partner provided their initial veterinary care, including the surgical removal of Martha’s tumor. Unfortunately, the tumor was not sent out for pathology at that time. It was believed to be a mast cell tumor, though whether it was low-grade or high-grade was never confirmed.
When the girls arrived with us in April, they were scared but quickly settled in. We continued their veterinary care, completed heartworm treatment, and over the following months they became healthy, happy dogs.
In early December, we noticed Martha had begun drinking significantly more water than usual. Otherwise, she was acting normal, but the change concerned us. We scheduled a vet appointment, but two days before that appointment, a fluid-filled mass suddenly developed on her chest, right in the same area as her previous tumor.
We took her to our vet immediately. Bloodwork, chest X-rays, and an aspirate of the mass were performed. The sample showed white blood cells and bacteria, suggesting infection. Her bloodwork was mostly normal aside from an elevated white count, and her chest X-ray showed mild cloudiness that was believed to be residual damage from her past heartworm disease.
At that time, Martha was diagnosed with an infection and started on antibiotics and steroids. Because of her history, our vet explained that there was a strong possibility the original mast cell tumor was involved and potentially regrowing beneath the surface. The plan was to treat the infection first and re-evaluate once the swelling resolved.
And initially, the medication worked. The mass went down, and Martha returned to her normal, happy self. Two days after finishing her medication, just before her scheduled recheck, Martha became very ill.
Saturday evening, Martha ate dinner normally. By Sunday morning, she was unable to get up and was severely swollen in her neck and chest. We immediately loaded up both Martha and Miriam and drove straight to BluePearl in Pittsburgh.
By the time we arrived, Martha was beginning to have some respiratory distress. She was rushed back and placed in an oxygen kennel while further testing was done. Bloodwork, X-rays, and another aspirate were repeated. Again, the mass showed white cells and bacteria, but her bloodwork now revealed multiple serious issues, including dangerously elevated kidney values.
The chest X-rays still showed cloudiness, but doctors were also now seeing what appeared to be nodules in her lungs. While a definitive diagnosis could not yet be made, the medical team strongly suspected degranulation of an internal mast cell tumor, meaning cancer cells were actively releasing inflammatory substances and spreading through her body.
Because more information was still needed, we chose to continue treatment. An ultrasound was scheduled for the following morning, with a CT scan planned afterward if needed. Overnight, Martha was placed on IV fluids, two broad-spectrum antibiotics, and pain medication.
When I was able to visit her several hours later, the swelling had already progressed significantly. By morning, it had worsened even further, and Martha was clearly in pain.
The ultrasound was done first thing and it revealed two large tumors, most likely regrowth and spread of the original mast cell cancer.
After lengthy conversations with the specialists about Martha’s condition and prognosis, we were faced with devastating realities. Surgical options existed, but they would have been extremely invasive, very painful, and carried a high risk that Martha would not survive the surgery. If she did, chemotherapy would still be required, with no guarantee of success and a very high likelihood of recurrence given how aggressively the cancer was already spreading.
With all of this information, we knew the kindest decision was to let Martha go and the doctors agreed.
Miriam and I were able to spend time with her. It was clear she was tired and ready to rest. We stayed with her, holding her, as she peacefully crossed the bridge.
This was not the outcome any of us wanted. Of course we wanted to fix her, to keep fighting. But rescue is never about what we want. It is about doing what is right for the animal, even when that choice breaks your heart.
Martha was deeply loved, and she knew it.
And that will always matter. 🐾💔
