Lovable NC goat Bianca back in the hospital weeks after surgery

Bianca's owner said the goat survived intensive surgery weeks ago when her udders swelled with excess milk the mama goat couldn't stop producing. Now, Bianca is back in the hospital with a serious but very common complication from the surgery.

"Her sutures were healing beautifully except for the deepest part of the incision," said Kellly Gray, Bianca's owner.

Gray said the veterinary team at North Carolina State University's veterinary hospital noticed a complication with Bianca's sutures. Bianca now has to remain in the veterinary hospital until she is healed.

"Bianca has come such a long way and is almost to the finish line, if we can just get her over this last hurdle," said Gray.

"She had never met me or Bianca but was so moved by Bianca’s story, she jumped in to help us and started that GoFundMe of her own accord," Gray explained.

Walker recruited Shelley Belk and Van Eure, the founders of Foundation of Hope, to help raise money for Bianca, and the general public followed.

"So it was these amazing three ladies, three total strangers to us coming together to care about this goat, and they are who saved her life," Gray said.

Gray said Bianca loves to cuddle and has changed her life and the lives of countless others over the years.

Gray, who has turned her home into a safe haven for rescue animals, began caring for Bianca six years ago. Bianca was pregnant at the time and came from a horrific situation where she and other animals were dehydrated and starving.

"It is really easy to be angry with people who allow this to happen to animals, but the fact is, the person who had those animals went through a traumatic event and became severely mentally ill as a result," Gray said. "[The owner] developed a fear of leaving her home and could not even go to the barn to take care of her animals."

Gray, unsure how Bianca would fit in with her rescued horse, chickens, handicapped rooster and dogs, didn't even want a goat. Many of her animals had special needs or came from situations of abuse, and Gray was hesitant to take another rescue. Then, the pregnant goat captured her heart.

"When my senior rescue horse saw Bianca for the first time, she literally fell to her knees, bending down to touch noses with this little white goat. I knew in that moment that I would do anything in my power to help Bianca and her baby, who we named Flash."

Gray fell in love with Bianca, who helped her through mental health struggles, a divorce and money problems.

Gray calls Bianca an "emotional little goat" who will sit with people and press her forehead to their cheek.

"She just stands very still and somehow you know she is beaming the most beautiful energy to you," Gray described. "Even when she was in what must’ve been terrible discomfort, Bianca had one priority, and that was to comfort someone."

Bianca's peaceful presence turned frightening when the kind goat couldn't wean her baby, Flash.

"Bianca simply would not dry up," Gray said. "It quickly turned dangerous because she was producing up to a gallon of milk per day. We had a really hard time keeping weight on her because she was burning too many calories making milk."

Gray said she spent more than $4,000 on veterinarian appointments, specialists and holistic treatments for Bianca over the years. She even hired people and bought a machine to help milk the goat, but Bianca kept producing.

"I sought help from many renowned veterinarians, but most would not consider surgery because it’s so risky, and it was very expensive," Gray said. "I simply did not have the money."

Gray said Bianca nearly lost her life on multiple occasions but never stopped showing affection.

"She would snuggle people to the ground," Gray said. People who were struggling would ask if they could come over just to sit with Bianca.

Many people asked Gray why she didn't euthanize Bianca when she didn't respond to treatments.

"To meet Bianca is to understand that this little goat wants to live, and she wants to thrive," Gray explained. "She had survived so much I could not quit on her now."

A dangerous condition became more dire when scar tissue built up on Bianca. Milk could no longer be expressed, so her udders swelled out of control.

"Last week, she was barely able to walk because her udders were so huge," Gray said. "The day we feared had come."

Gray called the N.C. State veterinary hospital, Bianca's last chance. In that first surgery, doctors removed 8 pounds of scar tissue from Bianca's udders after draining the milk.

Gray credits generous GoFundMe donors for Bianca's life, saying she could have never paid for the surgery without their help. To thank them, she held a celebration on Wednesday to celebrate Biana's homecoming.

It was the first time she could thank them in person.

Like many rescue organizations, Gray has poured money into saving lives, but there are always more animals to save.

"That’s why I always say these animals belong to everyone, not just to me," Gray said. "I’ve seen someone mail one of our veterinarians a check for $10 because they wanted to help and that’s what they could do. These creatures bring people together in such a way, it’s divine irony."