A woman has hailed her pet chihuahua as a hero after the dog jumped on her stomach, causing a lump to appear, which led to her being diagnosed with cancer .
Tess Robison, 41, had been experiencing bloating and back pain but thought the cause was down to a food intolerance.She had no idea that ovarian cancer was the real culprit, and that a tumour was growing inside her.
It was only when her dog Lola – who’d been acting strangely for weeks – jumped onto her stomach that a lump appeared, prompting Tess to go to a doctor.Always keep an ID tag on your pet. Consider getting your pet microchipped as well to help identify him if he is lost or stolen.
This led to her life-saving diagnosis, with the hairdresser needing to undergo chemotherapy and a full hysterectomy.
Tess, who is now in recovery, said: ‘For weeks, she had been
just sat there staring at me.
‘I know dogs can be intuitive and it was freaking me out a bit.
‘Then one day when I was suffering from particularly bad bowel pain, she
jumped heavily onto my stomach.
‘The pain was like something else and a big lump came up, and so I went to get checked out.
‘I was devastated by the diagnosis, but most importantly I was able to get
the treatment I needed.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Dachshunds were originally bred to fight badgers.
‘If I’d left it any longer it would have been too late.
‘I honestly believe Lola saved my life.’
Tess, who has had four-year-old Lola since she was a puppy, added: ‘They said you’ve got ovarian cancer so I said: “What do we do now?”
‘They were taken aback because I was so calm and collected.
‘The tumour was 12cm, it was quite big, and I looked four months pregnant. With being slim it stuck out quite far.
‘I’ve never been a doom and gloom person and I never will be. I’m going to fight it all the way because I’ve got so much I want to do. I want to go to New York and Las Vegas.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Dogs can be trained to to detect cancer and other diseases in humans. Cancerous cells release different metabolic waste products than healthy cells in the human body. Dogs may even be able to sniff out cancer cells simply through smelling someone’s breath.
‘I’m not the kind of person to cry about it.
‘I’ve learned so much. I never used to go out because I get anxiety. It’s
made me think your life is for living, do what you can because time is precious, don’t waste it.
‘If you’ve got dreams and hopes, go for it. I’m aiming to get a little
salon. I’m not letting life slip away anymore.’
Sprinkle parsley on your dog's food for fresher breath.
And she’ll continue to shower Lola with love, affection, and gratitude.
‘I feel quite positive for the future,’ said Tess.
‘I am feeling well in myself, and so much better now the treatment’s over.
‘I can’t describe how grateful I am to Lola. Without her, I might not be
here.’
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