Nine-year-old Jessie’s owners Paul Holt and Lola Butel say they are delighted after a pioneering treatment paid off. Their beloved pet was diagnosed with a mast-cell tumour after a lump was found on her leg last year and was given very little chance of survival.
Mr Holt, a service engineer for TOL Glazing, said Jessie’s cancer had been graded so high – level five – it was deemed almost incurable. But in an effort to have some more time with their pet, he and his partner have ploughed more than £5,500 into Jessie’s treatment – something they say they would have struggled to afford without insurance.
He and Ms Butel are now urging others to insure their pets in case the worst should happen.
‘We did not expect this to pay off and to be honest, when this treatment started we were just playing for time. We just wanted a bit longer with Jessie,’ he said.
‘I don’t know if it’s down to the drug or just luck. Dr [Ben] Benander has been great. It’s lucky how well Jessie responded to the drug. The test results are amazing. They now say Jessie doesn’t have to go back for another six months, which is amazing considering where she was.’
He added: ‘We have maxed out our insurance of £3,500 and paid an extra £2,000 ourselves. Without the insurance I think we would have really struggled.’
Ms Butel added: ‘Insurance is so important. We went over but when you have an animal it’s like another member of your family and you find a way.’
Jessie, who is deaf, underwent an operation to remove the tumour, but it could not be fully removed. That procedure was carried out by vet Peter Haworht, who also operated on Oscar the bionic cat.
Instead of amputating Jessie’s leg, vets recommended placing her on chemotherapy using a drug called Palladia so she would not lose her quality of life.
Dr Benander of New Era Veterinary Surgery described Jessie earlier this year as ‘rock solid’.
Ms Butel said she went back to the vets for tests in August and October and her blood results ‘were perfect’.
‘It is really amazing. We are so pleased,’ she added.
Other miracle animals:
Roger the goldfish: Mont Nicolle School pet goldfish Roger, named after tennis star Roger Federer, received some pioneering surgery in 2014 to remove a tumour from its head. Federer even tweeted about the op a few days later.
Oscar the bionic cat: Still alive and well, Oscar the bionic cat had a prosthetic limb fitted after a run-in with a combine harvester. The procedure was carried out by TV Supervet Neil Fitzpatrick
Terry/Terri the loggerhead turtle: Washed up on the beach near Grève d’Azette in January 2016, things didn’t look good for Terry/Terri, whose gender was never identified. But after weeks of rehabilitation, the turtle was flown back to the warmer waters of Gran Canaria after Islanders raised more than £10,000 to charter a private aircraft owned and flown by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson.
