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Tennis ball-sized growth removed from dog’s chest
A retired police dog is recovering after surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized growth from his chest.
RPD Albion, 10, worked as a general purpose police dog with West Midlands Police before retiring at the age of seven when an injury ended his career. He was adopted by Laura Johnson, from Coventry.
But this summer (2025), he needed surgery when a lump on his chest grew to the size of a tennis ball, concerning vets. The process was complicated, however, due to Albie’s fear of the vets.
Laura said: “A small lump formed on Albie’s chest about a year ago and, initially, I wasn’t worried. But I contacted the vet when it started to grow.
“Albie struggles in certain situations and he won’t let vets go near him so that have to give him tablets to calm him down before the appointment and managed to look at it.
“I measured the rate of growth for a few months and vets then decided it needed to be removed. This wasn’t straightforward. He had his calming tablets and the vet put him under anaesthetic in the car park before we carried him into theatre.
“They removed the lump and we carried him into the house on a blanket and I slept with him overnight to make sure he was okay but, thankfully, the next day he was back to his usual antics.”
The 7cm-wide lump was removed and biopsies showed it was not cancerous. We covered the cost of his surgery and tests.
Laura added: “This is the second time the Foundation has covered a substantial vet bill for Albie and I want to express my sincere thanks. I’m so grateful for all of the support he has received, it has been such a relief.”
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