But she had a football-sized black growth about 20-30 centimetres hanging from her abdomen. It was a mammary mass and clearly needed to be removed. We tried locating her owners, but no one was looking for her.

Once the vet team had deemed it safe to do so, they operated, making a 25-centimetre incision to remove the growth. It weighed 400grams.

Poor Zera also needed several tooth extractions. It’s impossible to tell how long she’d been suffering but it was wonderful to see Zera’s joyous mood on her daily walks as she recovered.