Owner spent $2,200 at vet fearing lump on their dog was cancer — but nothing could prepare them for what was inside

Taking care of pets can bring immense joy, but sometimes the expenses burn a hole in your pocket! Here’s a story shared by a Reddit user about how a mysterious lump found on their pet’s back turned out to be a surprise, which came with a surprisingly hefty bill of £1,700 (approximately $2,200) and additional expenses. On the popular subreddit r/MildlyInfuriating on October 2, u/someapeonearth shared a story that, though the incident induced panic, later turned out to be a funny story to narrate.

Newsweek reported that the pet owner of a Cockapoo noticed a lump on their pet's back. Suspecting it to be cancer, the dog owner rushed to the vet. However, when the vet performed a biopsy, they found a strange object in the lump. After further inspection, it turned out to be a piece of grass that had penetrated into the dog's skin, which further caused an abscess.

Though the owner was finally able to take a breath of relief, it came with a cost. Revealing the shocking medical bill, the pet owner wrote, "Cost £1700 with the bloods, operation, and meds. But at least she doesn't have cancer, so I'm skint but happy." Interestingly, the owner suspects that the grass may have pierced her skin as the dog enjoyed rolling on their grass field. The author wrote, "You really wouldn't think it would be strong enough, Cockapoos' dense fur."

According to National Library of Medicine, in a 2019 study by Ana Cloquell and Isidro Mateo, a grass awn was surgically removed from a dog's brain, which marked the first such documented procedure in veterinary literature. This study highlighted how migrating grass awns can cause severe neurological symptoms, potentially leading to misdiagnosis as cancer or other serious conditions. Soon after the post went viral, many fellow Reddit users shared their thoughts on the astronomical medical expense, and their own ordeals with veterinary bills.

u/craq_feind_davis wrote, "I once had a rock that cost me $3000. My dog swallowed it when he was young, and they had to surgically remove it from his intestine. The worst part is that they didn’t even keep the rock. I was going to frame it." 

When a Reddit user u/Kitty_Doc asked if they had done a fine needle aspirate first, the pet owner replied, "They did do that, first it was a blood test (slightly high white cell count found), then they tried that fine needle, but the lump was too hard and they only got a bit of blood out and it came back inconclusive, so then they did the biopsy which turned into and operation when they found the foreign body." u/RetroSwamp joked, "If it makes you feel better... My cat cost me $600 because she had gas once."