Dog mom Joan Garbutt was giving her Goldendoodle, Cello, a bath and happened to notice her rear leg knee was swollen. She took a photo and sent it to Cello’s veterinarian, who advised Garbutt to bring Cello in for a checkup. She was prescribed antibiotics to reduce the swelling, but the problem remained. An ultrasound confirmed Garbutt’s worst fears: Cello had a blood clot.
Cello was seen by veterinarians at the University of Florida, who performed a CT scan of the leg. Unfortunately, the dog had a tumor called a pheochromocytoma, which UF Health described as “a tumor of the adrenal gland that often causes episodes of cardiac arrhythmias, high blood pressure, fainting episodes, weakness, blindness, and sudden death.”
Elizabeth Maxwell, D.V.M., a clinical assistant professor in surgical oncology at UF Health, noted the tumor to be one of the largest the team ever saw. Cello had a chance of dying during surgery, but Dr. Maxwell recommended surgically removing the tumor after consulting with her team. It would be risky and there were several complications with a 50 percent mortality rate.
Dr. Maxwell said that Cello could live another two to four years if surgery was successful,” Garbutt said. “So, I agreed.”
Cello had to be dropped off at the hospital and due to pandemic restrictions, Garbutt was not allowed to go inside. Although surgery and recovery were stressful for Cello, after a few days her kidney functions improved. It would be weeks that turned into months before Cello showed major progress in her recovery. Garbutt feels UF Health performed a miracle on her dog.
“Without surgery, she would have certainly died in a couple of weeks,” Dr. Maxwell said. With the combined efforts of all the specialists — critical care, internal medicine, radiology, anesthesia, and surgical oncology — we were able to successfully remove the tumor and hopefully give Cello a long and happy life.”
We wish you all the best, Cello, and congratulate everyone who helped her overcome the obstacles!
