Dandie Dinmont Terriers in the UK

photo by Dean Sawyers

  From being a very fit young Dandie Dinmont of only just four years old and just made up to Champion, Lucy, Mosterlada Silver Lining, sadly passed away at the Glasgow Veterinary School from advanced lymphosarcoma, a disease that was nearly symptomless and only took two months from the known beginning to the tragic end.

Returning from holiday, Elaine noticed that Lucy had a couple of 'blisters' on her tummy. Just small ones, the size of a cigarette burn. They didn't heal but didn't grow or change. A biopsy came back clear. Meanwhile Lucy still showed no symptoms although looking back Elaine thinks that near the end she did sleep a little more on the sofa. She still had her daily walks down the road with Tony and was eating well.

But the lesions didn't heal and a hole appeared in her palate so she was admitted to the Glasgow University Veterinary School and it was from there that Elaine and Tony had the enormously difficult decision to make by telephone.  The School advised that the cancer, lymphosarcoma, was so very advanced that it would  perhaps be unkind to resucitate Lucy from the  exploratory procedure. They estimated that Lucy would only have had about a week's survival and would have needed chemotherapy during that time. So out of love and kindness, as only caring owners can do, Lucy was put to sleep.

Elaine and Tony want this story to be told in case it helps other owners spot the disease earlier and perhaps enable them to save their Dandie. It only took eight weeks from the known beginning to the very sad end of Lucy.