‘I owe my life to that dog’: Husky sniffs out her owner’s ovarian cancer THREE TIMES after doctors dismissed her pain as a cyst
- Stephanie Herfel was told to take painkillers for her abdominal discomfort
- Dog Sierra sniffed at her tummy before running away and curling up in a ball
- Saw her gynaecologist and was finally diagnosed with stage three cancer
- Sierra detected when the cancer returned in 2015 and again in 2016
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A former grant writer credits her dog for saving her life after the pooch sniffed out her cancer three times.
Stephanie Herfel, 52, had been experiencing severe discomfort in her abdomen, which her doctor dismissed as a cyst.
Sent home with painkillers, Mrs Herfel made an appointment to see a gynaecologist when her Siberian Husky Sierra sniffed at her lower abdomen before running away and curling up in the wardrobe.
Mrs Herfel was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer just weeks later on November 11, 2013.
After undergoing a full hysterectomy, chemotherapy and having her spleen removed, Mrs Herfel thought she was disease-free until Sierra sniffed at her again in 2015 and 2016 – tests later revealed her cancer had returned both times.
Now free of the disease, Mrs Herfel believes she would not be here if it was not for Sierra. ‘I owe my life to that dog,’ she said. ‘She’s really been a godsend to me.’
Stephanie Herfel (pictured left with her dog Sierra in September last year) credits her Siberian Husky for saving her life after the pooch sniffed out her cancer three times. Pictured right in February 2016, she was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer on November 11 2013
Mrs Herfel (pictured with her husband Jim Herfel at a monthly hospital appointment in March 2017) was sent home with painkillers when she best canadian pharmacy went to her doctor with abdominal pain. She was only diagnosed with cancer when Sierra sniffed at her tummy and then crawled in a ball
Ovarian cancer affects around 22,200 new women every year in the US, with one in 78 women developing the disease at some point in their lives, according to the American Cancer Society.
Around 70 per cent of women with ovarian cancer see their disease return, which becomes more likely the more advanced it is when diagnosed, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance states.
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In the UK, ovarian cancer affects around 7,200 new women every year. The chance of surviving more than a decade post-diagnosis is 35 per cent in England and Wales.
Sierra first sniffed at Mrs Herfel’s abdomen shortly after they moved to Wisconsin from California. She adopted the pet from her son in 2011 when he left for overseas duty while serving in the airforce.
HOW DO DOGS ‘SNIFF OUT’ CANCER?
Dogs have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and can pick up on ‘volatile organic compounds’, which are released from the early stages of many cancers, including ovarian, lung and colorectal.
Scientific studies have shown pooches can separate between blood and tissue samples donated from ovarian cancer patients and healthy people by picking up on minute quantities of VOCs.
Studies have also shown dogs can sniff out prostate cancer in a man’s urine, as well as breast and lung forms of the disease from compounds in a patient’s breath.
If a dog detects this on their owner, they may try to alert them by paying them more attention, sniffing them, or ‘comforting’ them by gently licking their hands or feet, or laying beside them for no reason.
If a person notices their dog is regularly acting differently around them, it may be worth looking out for other cancer symptoms, such as pain, fatigue and weight loss.
Experts have said specially-trained dogs could particularly help women with ovarian cancer, which has no screening programme and is usually only diagnosed when advanced.
‘Spooked out’, Mrs Herfel, who served in the US Marine Corps from 1984 to 1988, contacted her gynaecologist. The doctor then arranged for her to have blood tests and an ultrasound scan.
After being diagnosed, Mrs Herfel thought she had undergone her final chemotherapy session in April 2014.
But in 2015 and 2016, Sierra correctly identified that the cancer had returned, with tests later showing the disease had spread to Mrs Herfel’s liver and pelvis.
Her primary cancer doctor David Kushner told Mrs Herfel this was not a fluke, with some dog breeds being able to detect cancer with 98 per cent accuracy.
Sierra also acted the same way when Mrs Herfel’s friend, who was battling ovarian cancer, visited her, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Mrs Herfel, who married her husband Jim last year after they met online, is now cancer-free.
But she still takes a daily dose of chemotherapy tablets as part of a clinical trial to reduce the risk it may come back.
Whenever she comes home from a check-up at The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Mrs Herfel is forced to change her clothes due to Sierra becoming anxious by the ‘cancer smell’.
While worried her disease may return yet again, Mrs Herfel has already defied the five-year survival rate and remains positive that new treatments are being developed all the time.
Mrs Herfel, now retired from grant writing, recently joined the board of directors at the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance and hopes to write a book about Sierra ‘just to give the animals credit that they are pretty smart’.
Mrs Herfel has called Sierra a ‘godsend’ after she correctly identified when her cancer had returned in 2015 and again in 2016. This is despite her undergoing a hysterectomy, chemotherapy and having her spleen removed. The pair are pictured on May 4 last year
Although now disease free, Mrs Herfel takes chemo tablets every day to prevent her cancer returning. When it came back the second and third time, it had reached her liver and pelvis. She remains positive new treatments will be developed. She is pictured on August 8 2015
The former grant writer is now retired and on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance. She hopes to write a book about Sierra to show that animals are ‘pretty smart’. Mrs Herfel, who is originally from California, is pictured with the pet on May 23 2015
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER?
The symptoms of ovarian cancer can be difficult to recognise, particularly early on.
They’re often the same as symptoms of less serious conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are:
- Feeling constantly bloated
- A swollen tummy
- Discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area
- Feeling full quickly when eating, or loss of appetite
- Needing to pee more often or more urgently than normal
Other symptoms can include:
- Persistent indigestion or nausea
- Pain during sex
- A change in your bowel habits
- Back pain
- Vaginal bleeding – particularly bleeding after the menopause
- Feeling tired all the time
- Unintentional weight loss
When to see your GP
See your GP if:
- You’ve been feeling bloated most days for the last three weeks
- You have other symptoms of ovarian cancer that won’t go away – especially if you’re over 50 or have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, as you may be at a higher risk
It’s unlikely you have cancer, but it’s best to check. Your GP can do some simple tests.
Source: NHS Choices
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