No owner wants to hear that their dog has been diagnosed with cancer but at least Oakley’s owner was given the option of life-saving surgery for his much loved pet.
Oakley is an 11-year-old labradoodle referred to DWR at the beginning of April. Unfortunately, a CT scan showed that he had bone cancer, specifically a tumour associated with the 9thrib on his right side.
The tumour was identified as a chondrosarcoma, which is a locally aggressive type of cancer.
Oakley’s owner chose to go ahead with the surgery, and DWR surgeon Darren Barnes performed the operation, which involved removing 4 ribs and 3 cm of the soft tissue surrounding the tumour. His chest wall then had to be reconstructed using muscle flaps.
We are very happy to report that Oakley has now been back for a re-check. Laboratory tests carried out on-site confirmed that the tumour has been completely removed and he is recovering very well.