A nine-year old Labrador retriever was rushed to White Cross Vets, Eccleshill, for the removal of a huge lump from his side and hind leg.
Weighing in at a whopping 3.3kg and having rapidly swollen to the size of a football, it wasn’t just any old lump – it was a lipoma, the largest Anita Fox, Veterinary Surgeon at White Cross, had ever seen.
Bouncer’s owner Zoe McNulty, a 37-year-old NHS Team Coordinator from Greengates in Bradford, first spotted the lump towards the end of 2019. Back then, it was small and didn’t seem to be expanding rapidly.
A few months later, just a week before the Covid-19 lockdown was brought into to force, the lipoma began expanding rapidly.
Bouncer didn’t show any signs of distress while the lipoma was small but as it grew, the Labrador began struggling to walk, and ended up collapsing whilst out with his owners, who acted quickly and brought him to White Cross Vets.
A biopsy revealed the lump to be a benign lipoma that’d need to be surgically removed.
The surgery, originally predicted to take 3 hours, was a huge success. The lipoma was removed in one piece and the procedure lasted just one and a half hours.
Zoe said: “The vets called us to let us know everything had gone to plan, and we were so relieved. Bouncer’s an adorable dog with such a caring nature. He’s a huge part of our family. He was back to his normal, bouncing self just a few hours after the operation. The only difference was his scar!”
Lipomas affect one in 50 dogs each year in the UK. They’re mostly harmless, but because of how big they can get and how fast they can grow, they can be scary for owners.
To make matters worse for Zoe, Covid-19 regulations meant that she couldn’t have Bouncer’s lipoma looked at until his condition was classed as an emergency.
Despite the fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, Zoe was impressed with the service she received at White Cross.
Zoe added: “I can’t thank them enough. They were great from the start, explained everything to us and generally went above and beyond my expectations.”
Meanwhile, Bouncer is back to being a happy, healthy and bouncy Labrador – enjoying his forest and beach walks.
