This Incredible Dog Sniffed Out Owner's Breast Cancer By Nuzzling And Pawing At Her Chest | HuffPost Life

How One Dog Sniffed Out Breast Cancer

SWNS

|

Could a dog tell if you've got cancer? Allison Powell's pooch certainly did.

When Allison noticed that her four-year-old Labrador had begun to act very strangely, she was slightly baffled as to what was wrong.

Missy, who was usually incredibly bouncy and energetic had become very depressed all of a sudden - and had also started to regularly paw and nuzzle at her owner's left breast.

Unbeknown to Allison, she'd developed breast cancer - and Missy knew about it.

After months of pestering from her persistent pooch, the mum-of-one decided to go for a check up, where doctors found a small lump which they diagnosed as early stage breast cancer.

Caught early, Allison underwent a double mastectomy and the cancer was removed.

She revealed: "I've been truly lucky that my cancer was caught so early. If Missy hadn't alerted me to it, I might not be here today.

"It was so strange how her behaviour just changed one day. She became really depressed and would spend hours on end staring blankly out of the window.

"Then she kept nuzzling me and pawing at my breast. I just thought she was trying to get attention. I'd never even checked myself for breast cancer before because there's no history of it in my family."

SEE ALSO:
Five Signs To Check For Breast Cancer - How To Spot The Symptoms
Breast Cancer Survivors Prove There's More To Life Than Worrying About Your Bikini Body

"After months of Missy nudging me, it finally clicked what she was trying to tell me. I couldn't believe it when I found out she was right. She saved my life," she added.

As soon as Missy had begun acting strangely, Allison took her to the vets. Their verdict? Nothing was wrong with her. After several months, the penny dropped and Allison realised that Missy was actually trying to tell her something.

She said: "I finally put two and two together and checked my breasts for lumps. When I found a small lump in my left breast it all made sense, that's where Missy had been nuzzling."

Story continues below...

11 Little Known Breast Cancer Facts

Breast cancer is actually many different types of cancer(01 of10)

Breast cancer, in its simplest definition, is cancer that starts in the cells of the breast. But what we call "breast cancer" actually includes several different types of cancer, all of which require different treatments and have different prognoses. (credit:Shutterstock)

A lump doesn't always (or even usually) mean cancer(02 of10)

Most breast lumps indicate something other than breast cancer—some possible causes for breast lumps include cysts, fibrosis, or benign tumours. And some women are just prone to lumpy breasts, which is stressful but harmless. That said, if you find a lump, get it checked out — know that the odds are good that it's nothing serious, but see your doctor about it for your own peace of mind. (credit:Susan G. Komen)

Breast cancer isn't always a lump(03 of10)

It's helpful to know that breast cancer can appear in forms other than a lump, which means there are other physical signs you should watch for. Other symptoms that you should get checked out include thickening of the skin in the breast or underarm area; swelling, warmth, redness, or darkening of the breasts; a change in your breast size or shape; dimpling or puckering of the breast skin; an itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple; a pulling in of your nipple or another part of your breast; sudden nipple discharge; or pain in one spot of the breast that doesn't go away. (credit:Shutterstock)

Breast cancer risk isn't always determined by family history(04 of10)

A family history of breast cancer (on either your mother or father's side) can be an indication that your personal odds of developing it are higher than average, but they don't guarantee that you will. As well, the majority of women who develop breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors, including family history. And the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are hereditary, but only account for five to 10 per cent of all breast cancers. (credit:Shutterstock)

BRCA1 or BRCA2 don't always mean cancer is in your future(05 of10)

The news that Angelina Jolie had had a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation made many women wonder if they had the same mutation--and what it would mean for them if they did. If you do have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer is significantly elevated, and women with the mutations who do get cancer tend to develop it at younger ages; one estimate states that 55 to 65 per cent of the women with the BRCA1 mutation and 45 per cent of those with the BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70, versus 12 per cent in the general population. But it does not mean that cancer is definitely in your future, and every person has to make her own individual decision, based on a variety of factors, about how to best mitigate her risk of disease. (credit:Shutterstock)

Not all women have a one-in-eight risk for breast cancer(06 of10)

This often-cited statistic is somewhat misleading. Breast cancer risk varies based on a variety of factors, including age, weight, and ethnic background. Risk increases as you get older (http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/age.htm): most breast-cancer cases are in women in their 50s and 60s. Also, some ethnic groups appear to be more susceptible to breast cancer; the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. says that white, non-Hispanic women have the highest overall risk of developing breast cancer, while women of Korean descent have the lowest risk, but African-American women have a higher death rate. Finally, being overweight or obese may also up your risk; there is evidence that being obese or overweight after menopause can up your breast-cancer risk, possibly because fat tissue is a source of estrogen. (credit:Shutterstock)

There are ways to lower your risk(07 of10)

You can't prevent breast cancer, per se, but there are ways to lower your personal risk. If you are overweight or obese, you could try to lose weight in a healthful way; if you are already in a healthy weight range, try to stay there. Exercise regularly, as as little as 75 to 150 minutes of walking a week has been shown to have a lowering effect on risk. Limit your alcohol consumption — research found that women who have two or more alcoholic drinks each day have an elevated risk of breast cancer. And avoid hormone therapy during menopause, as a combo of estrogen and progestin has been shown to raise breast-cancer risk. (credit:Shutterstock)

Mammograms aren't foolproof(08 of10)

Mammograms are a powerful way to detect breast cancer early on, but they aren't 100 per cent. Mammograms are most effective in women aged 50 and over; they detect about 83 per cent of women who have breast cancer in that age group. For younger women, the sensitivity is 78 per cent. However, that does mean some cancers are missed and that there are false-positive results as well, which could require a biopsy to confirm. Talk to your doctor about when you should start getting mammograms regularly, or if you have symptoms that suggest that you should get one. (credit:Shutterstock)

Fertility treatments don't raise your breast-cancer risk(09 of10)

Some wondered if Giuliana Rancic's fertility treatments were behind her diagnosis of breast cancer in her late 30s, but experts interviewed by WebMD said that there is no strong evidence connecting the disease with the use of fertility drugs. It's true that hormonal treatments can raise the risk for post-menopausal women, but women undergoing fertility treatments are almost never in that age range, and also take the medications for a much shorter period of time. (credit:Getty Images)

Most women survive breast cancer(10 of10)

Cancer is scary, but in most cases, women who are diagnosed with breast cancer survive and lead healthy lives. According to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, the five-year survival rate is 80 per cent for men and 88 per cent for women. That's up from 79 per cent for women in 1986. (credit:Shutterstock)

"Luckily, I'd caught it in the early stages but doctors did find another small tumour," she added.

"Missy alerted me to it just in time and I had a double mastectomy. I was in hospital for ten days and when I came home she was back to her normal self.

"Her tail was whizzing round like a helicopter and she wasn't depressed anymore. Now every morning she comes and sniffs me head to toe."

Staff at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth where Allison was treated have been amazed by her four-legged friend, and have told her Missy saved her life.

Allison added: "Even the receptionist at the breast clinic has photos of Missy, she's famous.

"Because what I had was such an invasive cancer, if it had been undetected any longer I would have stood less chance of surviving.

"I'm on the mend and rewarding my little girl with lots of love and cuddles. My dogs are my life and I owe my life to them."

Related

Women Pets real life cancer uk lifestyle news

Suggest a correction

|