"My Dog Sniffs My Chest... It Turns Out to Be Breast Cancer"

Medical Staff "Often Detect Breast Cancer in Companion Dogs"

A story of a British woman who discovered breast cancer early thanks to her pet dog is gaining attention.

According to local media including the BBC on the 22nd (local time), Tricia Allison, a 50-year-old woman living in Nottinghamshire, discovered breast cancer early in April this year thanks to her 2-year-old pet dog, ‘Luna’. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she underwent two surgeries and is scheduled to receive chemotherapy depending on additional test results.

A stock photo unrelated to the above incident. Photo by Pixabay [Image source=Pixabay]

Luna, who usually has a gentle temperament, suddenly climbed onto Tricia’s body, poked her chest, and started sniffing. This was behavior she normally did not exhibit. Tricia said, “I was lying on the sofa watching TV on a weekend morning when Luna suddenly jumped on me, poked my chest, and sniffed. It was the first time I had seen such behavior.”

About 30 to 40 minutes later, Tricia felt pain in her chest and visited the hospital the next day to find the exact cause. After a biopsy, she was diagnosed with breast cancer within two weeks.

Tricia said, “The MRI scan also confirmed a tumor. It took two weeks to get the results, but thanks to Luna, it was discovered early.”

Tricia underwent two cancer surgeries at Nottingham City Hospital and is currently awaiting test results. Depending on the surgery results, she may need additional chemotherapy.

Grateful for discovering cancer early thanks to Luna, Tricia expressed, “If it weren’t for my pet dog Luna, I wouldn’t have found out about my breast cancer that day. I believe Luna knew that I had breast cancer.”

The medical staff treating Tricia said, “There are times when patients visit the hospital due to unusual behavior from their dogs and are diagnosed with breast cancer,” but added, “However, it is not a very reliable diagnostic method.” They continued, “The important thing is to have regular check-ups and to see medical professionals as soon as possible if you notice any suspicious symptoms.”

There is another case of early breast cancer detection thanks to a pet dog. In 2018 in the UK, a woman in her 40s noticed her dog obsessing over only one side of her chest, found it strange, and went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.