Yogi's story

When a lump appeared on Yogi’s neck, her owner was deeply worried.

The laidback bull mastiff had previously been diagnosed with a malignant tumour on her leg, so the new lump was cause for concern.

Bringing 10-year-old Yogi into Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, owner Charles Larcher could get answers to his fears.

Fawn and black bull mastiff Yogi looks into the camera while held by a Blue Cross volunteer — Yogi needed to undergo surgery to remove lumps from her jaw and back

“When the new lump came up under her chin, I don’t think she noticed she had it, but dogs can mask pain really well,” said Charles, 29, who adopted Yogi as a rescue when she was six years old.

“I was worried as she’d had a lump removed from her leg around three months before that turned out to be malignant.”

Charles had noticed a raised mass around a centimetre across appearing under Yogi’s chin, and was concerned at the speed it had grown.

The team at Victoria hospital had taken a tissue sample from the lump and sent it to the lab to be tested.

When Yogi’s lab results came back, they showed she had some bacterial inflammation and unusual cells.

Because of the potential for the cells to be cancerous, Blue Cross booked Yogi in to have the lump removed, alongside a small lump that was starting to develop on her back.

Fawn and black bull mastiff Yogi stands on a tiled floor with stitches from her operation visible on her back — Yogi had previously had a malignant lump on her leg

Yogi joined the 24,940 pets helped by veterinary services at our hospitals and clinics each year – with low cost care for those who need Blue Cross help.

The 45kg dog had a general anaesthetic so Blue Cross veterinary surgeons could operate safely and with minimum discomfort for Yogi.

With the operation a success, Yogi could recover in our dedicated day kennels with plenty of attention from Blue Cross veterinary nurses and animal care assistants.