A NEW LEASE OF LIFE
An owner’s fun video of her dog licking his lips ended up saving him, as Joanne Bednall discovers.
By taking a picture of her much-loved Dachshund-cross sticking his tongue out,
Sarah Furlong ended up saving his life.
Sarah Furlong still finds it hard to believe that her beloved dog, Eddie, wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t decided to make an amusing video of him sticking his tongue out.
The Dachshund-cross undoubtedly owes his life to 41-year-old Sarah, all because she happened to capture the underside of his tongue in a split-second screenshot.
Sarah, from Guildford, Surrey, had been using her phone to film her six-year-old dog licking his lips after being fed a treat, so she could send a photo to friends. But when she paused the video, one frame in particular stopped her in her tracks.
As she studied the image, Sarah noticed a strange and worrying pale, flame-shaped growth on the underside of Eddie’s tongue.
“It was about a centimetre long and whiteish in colour,” explained Sarah, who admitted she didn’t know what to make of the lump at first.
But realising it wasn’t right, she called her local vet, who asked her to send in the picture.
“They looked at the photo and suggested I bring Eddie in,” continued Sarah, who booked an appointment a day or so later.
“After examining him, the vet asked if Eddie had been chewing sticks — which he hadn’t — so they wondered if the lump could be an infection. They asked if I wanted him anaesthetised so they could take a closer look.”
Although no nearer to knowing what the lump was, Sarah and her husband, Tim, agreed it shouldn’t be there and decided they wanted samples taken, which were then sent off for analysis.
A week later, the practice called with the results. But the news was not what anyone
was expecting. The growth had been confirmed as a rare and life-threatening oral mast cell tumour.
“This really scared me,” said Sarah, who works for a property auctioneer. “We’ve had Eddie since he was eight weeks old and, at that point, I thought we were going to lose him.”
Sarah and Tim’s shock at the diagnosis quickly turned to devastation when they learned that the invasive tumour was so aggressive it was likely their lovable little dog would only have another nine to 14 months to live.
But Eddie was thrown a lifeline with an urgent referral to oncology specialist Gerry Polton, at Bletchingley-based North Downs Specialist Referrals (NDSR) in Surrey.
“I was assured he was the top man for the job,” continued Sarah, who hoped against hope the cancer had been caught early enough.
A HUGE RELIEF
At NDSR, samples taken from Eddie’s lymph glands, spleen, and liver revealed the cancer hadn’t spread, which was a huge relief to Sarah and Tim, who were given two treatment options.
“One was to remove the lump, along with part of his tongue, and the other was a pioneering treatment,” said Sarah.
Gerry, clinical director and a European veterinary specialist in small animal oncology at the Linnaeus-owned internationally recognised animal hospital, was reluctant to proceed with invasive and potentially damaging surgery, so instead recommended a course of electrochemotherapy.
This trailblazing treatment involves a bespoke probe sending an electric pulse to the tumour to change the outer layer of the cancer cell, making it easier for the chemotherapy to get inside. This targeted approach meant that a massive dose of chemotherapy could be delivered directly to the tumour without causing the tongue to lose tissue or function.
“Gerry said that because the tumour was so aggressive, Eddie would need seven electrochemotherapy sessions, each one about two to three weeks apart,” explained Sarah.
But no one expected the treatment to take effect so quickly — after just three sessions, Eddie’s tumour had not only shrunk, but disappeared altogether.
Although there was a slight discolouration to the underside of his tongue after the first treatment, even that has since resolved.
While Gerry can’t be sure Eddie has been cured, he hopes he’ll be in remission for a long time to come.
KEEPING POSITIVE
Despite enduring a worrying and traumatic few months, Sarah and Tim were determined to stay positive and hopeful throughout.
“The thought of Eddie seeing the top guy was comforting to us because we knew he would get the best care,” admitted Sarah. “We can’t thank Gerry and his expert team enough for what they’ve done.
“When we think back, Eddie started to slow down last year but it was so gradual, we hardly noticed. Now his energy levels are incredible — it’s like rewinding two years. He even runs up the stairs and jumps on the sofa, which he hadn’t been doing for some time.
“Eddie’s been given a totally new lease of life and is back to chasing tennis balls and loving his walks in the Surrey Hills.
“We went from fearing he might only have nine months to live, to him now being in full remission. I still can’t believe all this has happened — it’s been like a whirlwind. It was such a stressful time but we are so relieved the tumour was caught early. Eddie means the world to us.”
Sarah is urging owners to check their dogs’ tongues, although she admitted it’s not the easiest thing to do.
“No wonder this type of cancer is so rare,” added Sarah, who now regularly monitors Eddie to check the tumour hasn’t returned and even finds herself studying pictures of dogs’ tongues on social media and internet forums.
“No one looks under their dog’s tongue, and by the time they do and something is spotted, it’s often too late.
“I give Eddie a treat and video him licking his lips before slowing it down into frames. I then send an update to Gerry. A dog sticking his tongue out is a quick movement but with today’s technology and iPhones, you can easily capture this and pause the footage.
“If I hadn’t been videoing Eddie, I would never have spotted the lump; the cancer would have spread quickly and he wouldn’t be here today.”
“If I hadn’t been videoing Eddie, I would never have spotted the lump...”