Earlier this year our ridgeback Banjo was having some anal gland issues, which anyone knows a leaky anal gland is not for the weak stomach.
We took Banjo to our local vet, Kincumber Veterinary Clinic and were seen by the wonderful Dr Steph Chan. Steph examined Banjo’s anal gland and little did we know she found something unusual.
A call later that evening from Dr Steph confirmed she had concerns to an irregular lump on Banjo’s anal sack, she sanity checked with her Vet who also agreed it was worth Banjo coming in for a biopsy.
A week later after a very stinky extraction and samples taken under general anaesthetic, Dr Steph let us know our boy had cancer and she was referring us to SASH Central Coast due to the nature of its location plus additional scans needed to work out appropriate steps moving forward.
We soon had a consult with surgical specialist Dr Paul Jenkins, and within hours after CT scans and surgery Paul removed all areas of concerns within the tiniest of margins.
Shortly after, Dr Paul confirmed that Banjo’s cancer is malignant and unfortunately it will come back BUT right now he is cancer free all thanks to the wonderful quick thinking of our local vet Dr Steph questioning something not quite right and the precision, knowledge and skill of Dr Paul.
Although our future might change, we’re in the best hands now being monitored by Dr Nat Adby and the care of the wonderful Tuggerah nursing team welcome our sooky singing soprano every few months when it’s time for his next scan.
This isn’t a crazy or overly unique story but a very common occurrence and thanks to incredible Drs they’ve given us the gift of time!
– SASH Central Coast NSW
