Daily Mail

Bearing up well... St Bernard’s cancer scare turns out to be just a tummy full of teddies

- By Chris Brooke

WheN Maisy the St Bernard went for her regular check-up, the vet found a worrying lump on her tummy.

A subsequent CT scan flagged up an alarming mass near her spleen – usually a sign of cancer.

But Maisy’s tummy trouble turned out to be a belly full of teddy bears – oh, and a fluffy yellow star.

The astonishin­g collection of toys, found by the vet during an explorator­y operation, were remarkably intact, if a little soggy.

Owner Jane Dickinson, who also has two chihuahuas, said: ‘The toys weren’t even hers! She will steal the chihuahuas’ toys and play with them but I’ve never seen her trying to chew them.’

Mrs Dickinson, a restaurant manager. said 13 stone Maisy had a normal apetite, eating two meals a day. But she and her husband James, both 40, had noticed how their eight-year-old pet had a tendency to run off with the other dogs’ fluffy toys.

‘I didn’t even recognise one of the toys, the star- shaped one,’ she said. ‘My brother also keeps chihuahuas and it turns out it belonged to his dogs which I have looked after before.’

Maisy had to have her spleen removed during the operation as it was misshapen and at risk of rupturing.

Mrs Dickinson, from Roberttown in West Yorkshire, had been desperatel­y worried about her dog during the surgery. But she ended up having a good laugh with the vet when he revealed what he found. ‘When Maisy went in I did think, “Is she coming out?” but she is loving life now – it’s like she’s got her youth back,’ she said.

Vet Nick Blackburn, of Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield, said: ‘It’s fair to say this was not something we were expecting to find. We all know certain dogs enjoy chewing things they shouldn’t but managing to devour four full teddy bears is quite a feat.’ Maisy is now back at home and in excellent health. But, just in case, Mrs Dickinson has got rid of all the household’s soft toys.

 ??  ?? I’ve had a teddy bear’s picnic: Maisy is back to her best Inset: At the vet’s
I’ve had a teddy bear’s picnic: Maisy is back to her best Inset: At the vet’s
 ??  ?? Dog’s dinner: The collection of soggy toys found in Maisy’s belly
Dog’s dinner: The collection of soggy toys found in Maisy’s belly

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