Husky German Shepherd Skye enjoying life after cancerous tumour removed

Ten-year-old Skye underwent major surgery at Wakefield’s Chantry Vets to remove a cancerous mass from her ear canal after it was diagnosed during a CT scan at their new hospital in Brindley Way.

The beloved pet had been suffering from recurring infections in her left ear and had shown a delayed response to treatment.

Chantry’s senior vet, Fraser Reddick, said a CT scan was performed on Skye, which provided advanced 3D images that are more detailed than X-rays, and provide a clearer picture of diseases affecting soft tissue and bones.

He said: “We could see that there was an obvious abnormality within Skye’s middle ear. A biopsy identified the tumour as cancerous and we decided the best course of action was to remove Skye’s ear canal completely to ensure all of the mass was removed.

“Due to its location within Skye’s ear and the complex anatomy in that area, the tumour would have been very difficult to diagnose using X-ray alone. The availability of CT has provided a means to rapidly diagnose and perform curative surgery.

“I’m delighted that Skye has made a full recovery. Without such swift diagnosis and intervention, it’s very likely the tumour would have spread, and the outcome would not have been so favourable.”

Skye is now back home with owner Storm Smith and enjoying her walks once more.

Storm said: “Skye is a different dog since she had the operation. The ear infections were very painful, which made her unhappy and depressed, but she’s now running around again and enjoying a new lease of life. It’s lovely to see her like this and I don’t like to think what the outcome would have been if the tumour hadn’t been found and the cancer had been left to spread.

“The operation was quite a major one for Skye, and she’s so much happier than before.”

The CT scanner is one of the new state-of-the-art pieces of equipment available at Chantry Vets. The £1.6 million hospital opened in March and was funded by VetPartners.