A man from England has spoken of his relief this week that his beloved Pomeranian is recovering well after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Philip Strafford had been rubbing the belly of his adored pup, Jem – an 11-year-old Pomeranian – when he discovered a lump about the size of a golf ball on her chest.
Despite assuming it was a harmless fatty deposit or cyst, Philip immediately rushed Jem to a veterinarian to have her checked out. After some tests, the vet revealed a surprising diagnosis – breast cancer.
Owner Strafford admitted:
“I was shocked, I had no idea that dogs could even get breast cancer”
The vet explained that breast cancer is more prevalent amongst senior female dogs, who have not been spayed, due to an increase in hormone levels.
Having been a rescue dog, Strafford adopted Jem when she was already 6-years-old, and spaying her was not something he wanted to put her through at that point in her life.
With hindsight, however, he said:
“Of course, if I’d known then what I do now, I would have done it immediately.”
Treatment for Jem’s disease began immediately, starting with a four hour operation to cut out as much as possible of the large cluster of tumours in her breast. Having diagnosed the disease just before it had a chance to spread to her other organs, the vet is hopeful that Jem can now make a full recovery.
References
1 The Star
