21 Apr 2026
Vet Kathryne Hodgson said case “highlights the importance of senior health screening to pick up this silent disease”.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Border collie Callie with vet Kathryne Hodgson and a satsuma to show the size of the mass, alongside owners owner Jane and Graham Arnott.
Vets have saved the life of a dog after discovering a tumour the size of a satsuma thanks to a free health check.
Border collie Callie – an older dog receiving medication for age-related conditions – had been taken to Ashlea Vets in Carlisle for a routine six-month health check, where vet nurse Sarah Findlay offered her owners a blood test as part of their pet health plan.
After the blood tests revealed she had pancytopenia, an ultrasound showed a large mass attached to her spleen, which was at risk of rupturing.
Vet Kathryne Hodgson removed the tumour, which weighed 1.2kg, in a two-and-half hour emergency operation.
Mrs Hodgson said: “A successful outcome for Callie was only possible due to the care of the whole team, and it highlights the importance of senior health screening to pick up this silent disease that could otherwise have ended very differently.
“While blood screening in an otherwise healthy older dog can seem unnecessary, Callie’s case highlights it can sometimes be lifesaving.
“Even if everything is fine on the bloods it gives us a baseline for that pet which we can use to compare future results.”
Callie has since made a full recovery in time for her 14th birthday on 15 April, which she celebrated with the vet team who saved her life.
Mrs Hodgson added: “The reason Callie is still here to celebrate her birthday is thanks to her owners taking up the advice of Sarah, our registered veterinary nurse.
“Fellow vet Alex Ruiz and I were only then able to identify the tumour on her spleen and operate to remove it.”