It's not secret that medicine is a constantly improving field. With each year came better methods of treating patients. The downside is that old methods can quickly become outdated and obsolete. In hindsight, these old methods can appear very dangerous by modern standards. That also applies strong to the field of mental health. It has only been within the last half century that mental institutes have adopted effective and humane treatments for patients. Sadly, that has come too late for some people.
Daisy was an enigma. She had been a resident in her institute for about 50 years. It was hard to say why she was brought there. Some mishandling of records has made a lot data disappear. Daisy herself couldn't provide much information, seeing as she was given a lobotomy. And yet, despite many lobotomy patients are usually left a vegetable, Daisy had an unusual strength of mind. She was still a shell of a woman, but it wasn't a completely hollow one. She had just enough lucidity to interact with other people on a basic level, even if she had a hard time remembering things. The fact that she lasted about 50 years was definitely a testament to the strength of her spirit, if not her mind.
The sympathetic nurses at the institute had wanted to see if Daisy could be rehabilitated through Project Phoenix. However, there have been plenty of doubts about how effective a conversion would be. While the Animalia virus seems to be a panacea against physical ailments, that does not always translate to mental ailments. There are a few mental issues that the Animalia virus can cause, namely predatory instincts and Regressive Hypersexuality Syndrome.
And while conversion has helped with mental issues such as senility, lobotomy is a completely different thing. As Dr. Jones said, "There is a reason that brain surgery is considered a very difficult science. We still don't have a complete understanding about how the different parts of the brain correlate to the mind. Repairing the brain is more than just restoring removed tissue. We have no idea if it would actually restore any of her mental capacities."
Even so, the decision was made to go through with the conversion. If it couldn't completely restore Daisy's mind, it could at least give her a better life. Dr. Jones would have preferred that she be spliced with an animal with stronger mental capabilities, such as an elephant or a dolphin. But when Daisy was told of what will be happening, as much as they could get the idea through to her, Daisy insisted on becoming a cow. Cows had always made her feel happy, even if she wasn't sure why. Of course, a cow isn't really a shining example of animal intelligence, but it was ultimately her choice as long as she was able to make it.
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Daisy had a dim recollection of her conversion, but much of her life has been a dreamlike haze, some moments more solid than others. She remembered being taken to a new medical room and being given a big glass of milk. The milk in particular stood out for her, as it was the tastiest milk she could remember drinking. It didn't bother her when they left her alone. She was by herself a lot of the time.
When the changes started, Daisy didn't quite notice them at first. She was in a loose hospital gown, so it didn't get uncomfortably tight. But she was feeling something she hadn't felt in years, if not the first time. She felt...she didn't have the word yet, but she felt the need to touch herself. She fondled her breasts, becoming increasingly aware of how they were bigger than they ever had been before and were still growing. She became more aware of the world as her pleasure grew. She was also more aware of how she was changing, from the fur on her arms to her hoofed feet. Her backless gown allowed her tail to grow out easily. It soon grew tight on her, but she pulled it off easily.
Basic bovine mating instincts kicked in, telling her the quickest way to relieve herself. Very soon, she started fingering herself. Looking at one breast, she lifted it up, her bovine muzzle easily covering the distance to latch onto her larger nipple. At first, it was just about satisfying her growing arousal, but Daisy soon found she was actually sucking milk. And since it was as tasty as the stuff she drank, she kept on suckling, almost ignoring her own fingering in favor of this delicious milk. But she soon hit her climax and let out a moo, not feeling anything so intense in quite likely her whole life.
After she came off her pleasure high, she felt more aware of herself and her world. She still felt like there were blanks in her head, but she could keep thoughts going now. And looking in the mirror, she was quite a pretty brown cow. She had forgotten her hair was blonde. Such things didn't really matter to her before. But she looked so pretty now. And she felt pretty too.
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While it was clear that Daisy's brain had been healed after a CAT scan, her mind was another matter. "The Animalian virus must have used basic bovine material to fill in her missing parts," said Dr. Jones, "It's not that she thinks she's a cow, but she's forgotten a lot of what it means to be human. That's not to say she's mentally disabled. It will take some extra effort to bring her up to speed. Given enough time, she may be able to improve her intelligence. Whether or not she'll regain all her lost memories, I can't say. They may be buried deep away and considering how she was left in that institute, it may be better for her that she doesn't remember."
Daisy may be a slow learner, but she has been making progress. It was highly doubtful if she'd be able to get through middle school, let alone high school. But her adopted family was looking after her, so she wouldn't have to worry about taking care of herself. It's unlikely that Daisy would become a brain surgeon one day, but her life was looking better than it had before.