A dog that had been abandoned at a shelter where they put down animals was recently taken in by the Tickled Pink Weimaraner Rescue in New Mexico. The staff were shocked when they saw the poor pooch with an enormous 12-pound tumor. Due to its size, the Weimaraner could barely move when it arrived at the rescue. It was given the name Gilbert Grape, and it’s unknown how he managed to survive for so long without any medical attention. The vets provided him with painkillers, antibiotics, and an IV catheter, as well as performing an ultrasound and analyzing his blood and urine. They even had to give him a blood transfusion. After his arrival, the vets were consulted about the tumor.
Tickled Pink had a tough decision to make – should they put Gilbert out of his pain or perform surgery? However, the kind-hearted team at Tickled Pink Weimaraner Rescue raised £4,300 through charitable efforts and chose to opt for life-saving surgery. A year later, Gilbert is happily beaming alongside his new owner Scott Roberts after his 12lb benign tumor was successfully removed. Although it took him some time to recover his strength due to the muscle he lost from compensating for the growth’s size, Gilbert is now doing much better.
The area has a program that allows pre-approved, nationally recognized rescues to take in animals after medical clearance. However, the shelter’s policy for stray animals is to keep them without screening for 72 hours to give their owners a chance to reclaim them. Gilbert underwent a miraculous transformation after undergoing tumor removal surgery, and his life-saving treatment included blood transfusions and an IV catheter. He spent months receiving physical therapy to regain lost muscle mass before being adopted by Scott. This happened in 2013, and since then, Tickled Pink Weimaraner Rescue has continued to do great work, saving dogs with unique needs, those who are terminally ill, and those like Gilbert who need a helping hand.