1h ago
Labrador with meningioma back to playing fetch after tumour left her unsteady and with a head tilt.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Miah back to high energy exercise following radiotherapy treatment for meningioma.
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is encouraging referring vets to consider precision radiotherapy as a treatment for animals with tumours after helping a Labrador with meningioma.
Nine-year-old Labrador Miah was taken to her local vet after her owners noticed a sudden change in mobility and coordination having developed ataxia, intermittent lameness in her right forelimb and a significant head tilt.
CT scans at a nearby veterinary hospital revealed a 23mm mass and evidence of increased intracranial pressure and cerebellar herniation.
Miah was referred to the University of Edinburgh’s Hospital for Small Animals after a second referral with oncology expertise concluded surgical resection of the tumour was not feasible due to its location.
The Labrador was treated at the hospital’s Riddell-Swann Veterinary Cancer Centre, where she completed 10 radiotherapy fractions over two weeks, with daily cone-beam CT used to support “millimetre-level precision”.
Magdalena Parys, European and RCVS Specialist in radiation oncology, said: “Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), delivered by our hospital’s VitalBeam linear accelerator, is a state-of-art radiotherapy technique that delivers precisely modulated radiation as the treatment machine rotates around the patient.
“Through advanced treatment planning and image guidance, VMAT enables accurate targeting of tumours while helping to minimise radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. It represents a significant step forward in delivering more precise and personalised radiotherapy.”
Miah remains under the team’s care for ongoing monitoring of the tumour and will undergo a three-month check scan, but her owners are already said to be reporting a marked functional improvement, with her progressing from difficulty walking in a straight line to resuming high-energy play.
Dr Parys added: “We were delighted to see [Miah] complete her radiotherapy treatment and, most importantly, to see her feeling so much better and enjoying life again.”