Daily Mail - 04.03.2020

Page 45

DID YOU

KNOW?

Daily Mail, Wednesday, March 4, 2020^

If you have cancer, your dog may be the first to know. Researchers say

canines can pick up on the change in scent given off by abnormal cells and

some dogs are now trained to detect certain human cancers.

Sam’s op

took 3½

hours —

but now

he’s as

happy

as Larry

RetiRed Barbara Parsons, 60,

is married to 61-year-old civil

servant Will and lives

in Newport with their cat

Mavis, 16.

We aDopteD Mavis from friends

who went travelling when she

was just 18-months-old.

until then, we’d always had

black rescue cats — Mavis was

our first white and we didn’t

know they were prone to sunburn

on the ends of their ears.

But in 2013, we noticed the tips

were slightly red so we took her

to the vet, who said it might be

skin cancer.

We were told to keep an eye on

it. after that I tried putting

factor 50 suntan cream

on her ears on sunny

days, but she wasn’t

having any of it — she’d

paw it off.

But within a year it had

got much worse and the

vet said it was time to

remove her ears. We

booked a date for

the surgery and

w e n t o n

holiday for

a w e e k ,

l e a v i n g

Mavis in the

care of our

n e x t - d o o r

neighbour.

W e c a m e

home to find

the tumours

on her ears

had erupted — it looked like she’d

caught one on the cat flap

and shaken her head because

there was blood all over next

door’s house.

It was horrifying and so we took

her straight to the vet, who

pe r f o r m e d t h e o p e r a t i o n

immediately. Within two hours

we got a call to say ‘come and

take her home’.

Seeing her without her ears

was a shock. She wore a cone

around her neck to stop her

scratching the wounds and felt

very sorry for herself.

We took her home and over the

next three weeks — until the cone

came off — she gradually

improved. We nicknamed her

Volderpuss because she

looked like the villain in

Harry potter.

She’s now 16 and very

sprightly. She still loves

fresh chicken, mousing and

sleeping in bed with me like

she did before.

and she still doesn’t

like my husband and

won’t eat the food

he puts down.

people do a

d o u b l e t a k e

when they see

her — but to us

she’s the same

old Mavis.

­(inflammation­of­the­bowel).­After­

a­ few­days­on­antibiotics,­Cheddar­

noticeably­ improved­ and­ we­

thought­we’d­turned­the­corner.­

But­ in ­ early­ December­ we­ took­

him­ for­ his­ inoculation­ boosters­

and­the­vet­felt­his­tummy­to ­make­

sure­ he­ was­ healthy.­ But­ they­

found­a­lump.

A­ CT­ scan­ and­ X-ray­ didn’t­­

show­ what­ it ­ was,­ so­ the­ vet­

wanted­to ­operate.­

We­went­home­and­after­an­hour­

she­ called­ to­ say­ there­ was­­

quite­ a­ big­ blockage­ they­ were­

going­to ­remove.­

There­followed­an­anxious­three-

hour­ wait­ for­ news.­ In­ the­ end,­

they­cut­out­1.5­inches­of ­his­bowel,­

which­ was­ badly­ diseased,­ and­

sent­it ­off­for­testing.

Three­ days­ later­ Cheddar­ was­

home.­A­week­later­we­went­back­

for­the­test­results.­

We­ could­ see­ something­ was­

w r o n g­ — ­ t h e­ v e t­ w a s­ q u i t e­

­emotional.­ She­ sat­ us­ down­ and­

told­ us­ he­ had­ an­ aggressive­

­lymphoma­of ­the­bowel­and­that­it­

was­terminal.

It ­ was­ a­ hammer­ blow:­ there­

were­ a­ lot­ of ­ tears­ and­ just­

­numbness­ that­ something­ like­

that­ could­ happen­ to­ such­ a­ ­

young­dog.

And­ there­ was­ no­ outward­ sign­

of ­ it ­ —­ he­ was­ a­ happy,­ bouncy,­

­mischievous­dog.­

That’s­what­made­it ­so­hard.­He­

had­intensive­chemotherapy­for­a­

month­ and­ now­ he­ has­ it ­ once­ a­

month­with­steroids­every­day.­

We­don’t­know­whether­he’s­got­

three­weeks­or ­three­years.­We­just­

know­it ­will­come­back.

So­ we’re­ enjoying­ life­ with­ him­

—­ plenty­ of ­ walks,­ taking­ him­ to­

the­ seaside,­ meeting­ up­ with­ his­

friends­to ­chase­balls­and­frisbees.­

It’s­ been­ the­ best­ it ­ can.­ But­ it­

just­feels­so­unfair.

Kyali Square Cat Bed

£99, made.com

catS can jump onto the top of

the bed or slip through the

side holes and snuggle inside.

It’s sleek and stylish, too.

CeCil dog Bed

From £150, sofa.com

MaDe using a hard-wearing,

beech frame, and with

washable covers, this bed

stands up to muddy paws.

Calming Pet Bed

From £31.18, calmingpet.co

DeSI gneD by therapists to

help ease anxiety, the cosy

fabric mimics the comfort of

a mother’s fur coat.

Bond:

Barbara

with Mavis

altHougH some pets may

go through life without any

major problems, others

may find themselves in

need of emergency or

ongoing veterinary care.

one way to prepare for

unexpected bills is to

take out pet insurance. But

which one is best? Here,

the pDSa cuts through

the jargon...

n aCCident only

inSuranCe: these policies

only cover your pet for

accidents, not illnesses, but

premiums are usually

cheaper as a result.

n exCeSS: the amount you

pay when you make a

claim. this could be a set

figure or a percentage of

the total claim (known as

co-insurance) or both.

there can be ‘compulsory

excess’ (set by the insurer)

and ‘voluntary excess’

(where you decide the

amount).

n eleCtive ProCedure:

treatment that isn’t

absolutely necessary for

your pet’s wellbeing, it’s

chosen rather than

‘essential’. for instance,

neutering a healthy

pet would usually be

considered ‘elective’.

n exCluSion Period: this

refers to the time between

the start date of the policy

and the date from which

you’ll be able to make a

claim. this is usually

between 10-14 days, but

could be longer.

n lifetime Cover: this

type of policy will usually

cover your pet against any

new accidents and illnesses

for their entire life (as

long as the policy is

active). as a result, it will

generally cost a bit more,

but will offer you full

peace of mind. check

for restrictions.

n maximum Benefit: this

means a set limit on claims

for each illness or injury.

there are no time

restraints, but once you

reach the stated limit, the

insurer won’t pay any

further claims for that

particular condition.

maviS loSt her earS

and We’ve niCKnamed

her ‘volderPuSS’

BuSting the

inSuranCe Jargon

pulled through: Vicci

with labrador Sam

Pictures: John LaWrence/

Warren SMith