In late January, Annabel Thomas rushed her golden retriever Daisy to the vet after she started having seizures.
Vets discovered a tumour in her parietal lobe — the part of her brain responsible for motor function.
For Daisy and her owners, it was devastating news.
Annabel, her husband Rohan ‘Bomber’ Thomas and their daughters Charlotte and Jasmine loved nine-year-old Daisy.
She was part of their family.
The runt of the litter, with what Annabel describes as “short legs, a bumpy head and a bung eye”, Daisy is well loved.
“We’ve loved her since the minute we got her,” Annabel said.
With pet insurance in place, and an assurance from a vet neurologist that he could operate on Daisy and that it would not be a horrible process for her to go through or recover from, the decision about what to do next was an easy one.
“We had nothing to lose, because we wouldn’t have had her (without the operation),” Annabel said.
Cue vet neurologist Dr Sam Long.
He said dogs with brain tumours are something that is “moderately common” — with 14 to 15 dogs per 100,000 suffering from the condition — a percentage similar to humans suffering from brain tumours.
Sam operated on Daisy in conjunction with a human neurosurgeon, with a research team from RMIT also attending.
Because of the type of brain tumour Daisy was suspected of having — a glioma — Sam tried out a technique that works in humans with the same sort of brain cancer.
He used 5-amino levulinic acid – also known as 5ALA – which is taken as a capsule two to three hours before surgery.
The tumour cells then glow when a special light is shone on them during surgery.
The use of 5ALA, while common in surgery on humans, has only been used a few times overseas on dogs.
Sam tried it on Daisy and was impressed with how well it worked on highlighting her tumour to ensure the surgeon got it all out.
Sam said it meant he took a region of the brain nearby that he thought probably would have been tumour cells because they lit up with the 5ALA — despite being unable to be seen by the naked eye.
With the operation and accommodation costs — as well as future radiation in Sydney — estimated to run into the tens of thousands of dollars, Daisy is a walking advertisement for the importance of pet insurance.
“If I didn’t have pet insurance I’d definitely have to think about it,” Annabel said.
“Every cent I paid for in pet insurance I got back.”
After the surgery, Daisy had some setbacks as she was having trouble walking when she first came home, so she returned to the vet hospital in Melbourne for another week.
When Annabel picked her up last week to bring her home to Shepparton, she was overjoyed by the results as Daisy could walk out to meet her.
“I’m blown away,” Annabel said.
“It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions,” Annabel said.
“When I picked her up I burst into tears.
“She walked out to greet me and she hadn’t been able to walk.”
Annabel has nothing but praise for Sam and his team.
“I’m blown away. I had faith in what Sam had to say, but didn’t know if it could happen,” she said.
“He’s amazing.”
Daisy still has to go to Sydney for radiation treatment within a month to ensure the tumour is all gone, but things are looking up for the beloved pooch.
“We could get another 18 months to two years,” Annabel said.
It wasn’t just the human members of the house who were happy to see Daisy when she came home; the Thomases’ other labrador-golden retriever, Rosie, was also pleased to see her sister.
“Rosie adores Daisy,” Annabel said.
“She jumped up in the back of the car to find her (when we got home).
“And she’s been giving her licks on the head.”
And for now, Daisy is happy to be at home, lapping up all the attention bestowed on her by all family members.