Flowers for Lily

When Squee came into rescue from her Missouri puppymill, she didn't come alone. She was in the company of another little pup: a 12-week-old chihuahua with hydrocephalus named Lily. Besides the fluid on her brain, a large area of skull on the top of Lily's head had never formed, so she was at high risk of accidentally injuring herself. Lily was a tiny little thing, all big eyes (and big head) with black and white speckles. Like many hydrocephalic pups, she was very small, only 1 lb 10 oz at three months old. Squee came to stay with me, and Lily remained with Lori, my rescue contact, who decided to adopt this tiny, special needs gal and make her a permanent part of her family.

Her prognosis was poor, but Lily had enough spunk and spirit, that Lori and I both thought she was going to beat the odds. She thrived in Lori's care, getting to travel everywhere with her family (even smuggled into the movies). She had the company of other dogs and, more importantly, her people. Lily adored sleeping beside Lori and her husband, and her very favorite place to be was snuggled down inside Lori's shirt.

Lily spent a wonderful month with Lori and her family, enjoying the high life and being adored and pampered. Unfortunately, over the course of the last two days, the fluid on Lily's brain drastically increased. Yesterday, she was in significant pain, had lost the ability to balance and had lost much or all of her vision. Emergency veterinary care gave her relief from the pain, but little Lily left us at 7am this morning.

There is a tiny, Lily-shaped hole in the hearts of all of those that knew this bright, vivacious girl, and my love goes out to Lori as she begins to cope with the loss of a pup who made herself such an essential part of the family in such a short time. Please keep Lori in your thoughts, today. Thanks to Lori's compassion and care, Lily's last month was filled with love, which I think is the real measure of a life well-lived.