Update 6/13:

This morning, we got the text that no one is ever prepared to read. Sweet Penelope passed away sometime in the night. 💔

When vet staff came in this morning, she was not breathing. They were as shocked as we are. Her bloodwork came back normal, she handled her first round of chemo like a champ, and she even ate food yesterday.

We are devastated. Penelope’s life mattered. She didn’t deserve the suffering or pain that she went through for months on the street. She was the sweetest girl.

We were so ready to fight alongside her and show her that life can be filled with happiness and love. We wanted her to experience the cozy comfort of a foster home. We had hope and we wanted so much more for Penelope.

We will never know what caused her to pass, but unfortunately it is common for street dogs. Her poor little body was fighting for survival in the extreme heat for far too long. She was finally safe and her body couldn’t take anymore.

Sadly, we still need your help. We still have to pay for two days at the hospital and her cremation. We owe the vet $570. Counting in yesterday’s donations, we still need raise $274 to cover the costs.

Please consider sending us a small donation in Penelope’s honor. We are heartbroken. Even on days like today, when things feel so overwhelming, we can’t give up. We need to keep going for the many dogs that are counting on us.

Thank you for believing in our mission and for your continued support.

Rest in peace, sweet girl. 🌈

Penelope was a homeless dog living on the streets with painful ulcerated tumors. For months. For months, neighbors saw her and did nothing to help her.

Until yesterday, when our kind friend saw her and asked us for help. We could not turn away like so many others did. We immediately helped get Penelope to the vet.

The vet diagnosed Penelope with TVT (transmissible venereal tumors). TVT is sexually transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact with the tumor that results in cancer cells being transferred from dog to dog.

TVT is common among stray dogs in the Rio Grande Valley area of south TX. Thankfully TVT is not a death sentence, but it requires intensive chemotherapy treatment to shrink the tumors.

The vet staff said despite her pain, Penelope is a sweet, docile angel. She truly is a special girl and we are ready for her to be pain-free. ❤️‍🩹

Now we need your help 🙏 Penelope will need 5-7 weeks of chemotherapy sessions to treat this disease. At the vet in south TX, the estimated cost for chemo is $815, on top of the $440 we spent yesterday. It will cost even more if we can’t find a foster and she needs to get treated in Austin.

This doesn’t even include the costs of medication for giardia, vaccines, heartworm test, and spay when she is healthy enough for surgery.

Penelope also URGENTLY needs a foster home in Texas to give her a soft, safe place to rest throughout treatment.

If we can’t find a foster, our only option would be boarding at the vet. This would cost an additional $1500+ 😭

Please donate to help Penelope get the treatment she needs. Please, please we are asking our supporters to share this fundraiser and donate any amount you can. $1, $5, $10. No amount is too small.

We are a small, 501c3 nonprofit animal rescue dedicated to helping the vulnerable animals of south and central Texas. Thank you for your support!

Help Save Penelope, a TX Street Dog with TVT

By Saving South Texas

Help Save Penelope, a TX Street Dog with TVT