I had a half day organised and then realised that I was missing an appointment booked by one of my best friends for her whole family of dogs and rabbits. I am especially attached to Tess, a very beautiful Labrador, as she was born in my kitchen and I have her mother and big brother. I had checked with my friend Libby and she was happy to see my colleague Freya instead of me, as she has seen Freya many times before with various pets. Never mind, I thought, waltzing out of the door, at least my colleague Freya will enjoy seeing her later.

Imagine my surprise when less than 5 hours later, I have a message from Libby to say that poor Tess has a tumour on her spleen probably at least 10cm in size and surgery was to be immediate. Libby’s observant teenagers had noticed that Tess’s tummy was a bit hard, and sure enough, when she rolled over for a tummy tickle, Freya could see it too! Luckily, my colleagues were super-efficient and arranged for Tess to go to surgery straightaway.

Tess has breezed through her surgery at South Moor Vets, with her spleen and the abnormal mass now removed. Fortunately, there were no other signs of tumours and this one had not ruptured. We still do not know whether this is a benign tumour and have to wait for the laboratory results to confirm the nature of the mass. However, it can be really useful to know what your dog’s tummy feels like usually. Tess had not had a single day of feeling unwell; no sickness or lethargy. Without the eagle-eyed teenagers and the diligent vet Freya, Tess may have continued life with a ticking time bomb in her abdomen!

Provided that our patients are willing, we always include a full examination at routine vaccinations including checking teeth, eyes, heart and skin. All dogs are different so it can be hard to pick up early and subtle changes sometimes, but if checks aren’t performed, the chance is even poorer. Owners however, are often able to notice subtle changes in their pets, and can often be spot-on as in Tess’s case. This is a good reason for pets to be checked regularly by their owners as well as vets.

Tess had to stay overnight to have pain relief and constant monitoring because this surgery is a major intervention. The wonderful duty night nurse looked after her. However, she was home in time for lunch the following day, and even more keen to have dinner too. Well, she has read the Labrador code of eating! Tess will need a few visits back to the vets to check all is ok and she will have to stay out of the water for 10 days or so – quite tricky for a Labradog in all this heat but we are all breathing a sigh of relief that she is ok.

Lou Newman BVetMed BSc MRCVS