A Labrador is recovering after undergoing life-saving surgery to remove a 2kg tumour the size of a football from her abdomen.
Staff at Blue Cross pet charity’s rehoming centre in Burford, Oxfordshire, worked quickly to remove the mammary tumour on six year old Lucy on her arrival.
The tumour, which weighed more than two bags of sugar, took vets two hours to remove and luckily was found not to have spread.
Lucy was also neutered to prevent uterine disease in future and reduce the chance of future hormone-related mammary tumours.
The black Labrador is now recovering in a foster home and is doing well after the surgery, which is estimated to have cost Blue Cross around £1,000.
Lucy was brought into Blue Cross for rehoming by friends of her owner who had passed away just weeks before.
Laura Crofts, small animals manager at Blue Cross rehoming centre in Burford, said: “We’re over the moon to see a happy ending for Lucy.
“She was brought into us for rehoming after her owner died and it seemed she had just got used to the massive lump hanging down from her abdomen. It must have been so uncomfortable for her and we’re not sure how long she had been putting up with it.
“She’s making a great recovery and is doing really well in her foster home, she’s such a chilled dog and takes it all in her stride. She still splays out her back legs because she’s got so used to walking with the mass. Hopefully she will realise she no longer has to do that now.
She added: “Cases like this really show the importance of getting your dog or cat neutered as this greatly reduces the chance of mammary tumours like this occurring. Studies show more than a quarter of female unsprayed dogs will develop a mammary tumour during their lifetime and some of these can prove to be fatal.
“Luckily Lucy is on her way to her happy ending and we hope in time she will be ready to go up for rehoming and the team here at Burford can find her a loving new family to go to.”
