Teen puts Crufts dreams on hold after beloved pooch Benji diagnosed with cancer
Aimee Carville was left devastated when a lump she found on her beloved four-year-old cockapoo on Christmas Day turned out to be a mast cell cancerous tumor.
The 17-year-old's family now face £11,500 vet bills for Benji's treatment, which could be even more if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.
While some of the costs will be covered by insurance, not all of it will; so Aimee and her family are hoping to give Benji 'many more years' by launching a fundraising drive.
Aimee Carville and Benji (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
The teen, who is currently studying for A levels at St John's School and Sixth Form College in Bishop Auckland, said: 'At Christmas we noticed a lump and swelling on his arm.
'That was actually on Christmas Day. As soon as we could we took him to the vets.
'They said it looks like it is probably a muscle injury, as he does agility. We got some medication and it was all ok. It went down and we didn't think anything of it.
Benji is an award winner (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
'He was fine for about a month, but then it came back and my mam was concerned.'
Junior agility handler Aimee said she initially thought 'happy and playful' Benji, who is a younger brother to golden cockapoo Teddy, seven, had injured himself when he first started agility training last year.
Benji and Teddy (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
But sadly, the family got the news two weeks ago that Benji was suffering a cancerous tumor which had spread to his lymph nodes.
'It was awful', she said. 'We think it is a lower grade but he has had it since Christmas.
'He has had an ultrasound on his leg but he hasn't had a CT scan, so we are unsure whether he has cancer anywhere else in his body.'
The family are already facing costs of up to £11,500 - but treatment could cost even more and Benji will also need to undergo chemotherapy after, which could last about 12 weeks.
Aimee, who is currently in Year 12 studying Biology, Geography, and English Literature and Language, said she and Benji had made 'so much progress' in dog agility in the last year.
The award-winning pooch was doing so well they were hoping to qualify for Crufts in 2026 or 2027, something that is now up in the air.
Aimee Carville and Benji (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
'He is like my best friend, he is not just a pet', she said. 'He's a happy little playful boy and he is still his happy little self.
'He did his last competition over the weekend and got first place, fifth place, and seventh place!'
Aimee Carville and Benji (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
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But despite the awful news, Aimee, who also works at Marks and Spencer, still managed an A in her Biology mock exam.
She explained: 'On the night I was trying to revise and nothing was going in because I was just sitting and crying.'
You can donate to Aimee's fundraiser here: https://tinyurl.com/4e27w4pu
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