Moving overseas with a companion animal is a long and sometimes stressful process.
After a tearful farewell, brave little Pepper set off on her journey from London to Melbourne. On arrival in quarantine she seemed happy, healthy and up to her usual tricks of winning hearts, but then came the email no pet parent wants to receive – she had stopped eating, was suffering with diarrhoea and vomiting and had to be hospitalised.
Things went from bad to worse with a diagnosis of liver cancer. Given her age (15) we had to think seriously about what the different treatment options would mean for her quality of life.
We could not have been in better hands than the SASH team in Tuggerah. From our first visit with Dr Amy Dixon we received realistic and compassionate advice that was free of judgement.
Once scans confirmed an isolated tumor in a promising location, in consultation with Dr John Culvenor we decided to go ahead with surgery.
Pepper has made a full recovery and is more spritely than ever. At the ripe old age of 15 and finding herself in a warmer climate, she has become an outdoor cat. She loves nothing more than stalking skinks around the garden. Being a gentle soul or perhaps knowing that everyone deserves a second chance, she never pounces and lets them go on their way.
