A black Labrador is recovering after undergoing life-saving surgery to remove a 2Kg tumour the size of a football from her abdomen.
Lucy, the six-year-old Labrador was brought into Blue Cross’s rehoming centre in Burford, Oxfordshire for rehoming after her owner passed away.
Staff at the centre were shocked when they saw Lucy on arrival with her huger mammary tumour, which weighed more than two bags of sugar.
Vets worked quickly to remove the mass, which was found to have not spread. Lucy was also neutered to prevent uterine disease in future and reduce the chance of future hormone-related mammary tumours.
Lucy is now recovering in a foster home and doing well after the surgery, which is estimated to have cost Blue Cross around £1,000.
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.
“She’s making a great recovery and is doing well in her foster home, she’s such a chilled dog and takes it all in her stride. Cases like this really show the importance of getting your dog or cat neutered as this greatly reduced the chance of mammary tumours like this occurring.”
In 2017, Blue Cross helped 40,000 sick, injured and abandoned pets like Lucy. The charity have set up a JustGiving page for Lucy, you can make a donation at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bluecrosslucysappeal
