A FAMILY pet from Torpoint has undergone surgery to remove a tumour weighing 3.36kg - one of the largest his vet has ever seen.

Ten-year-old Cocker Spaniel Dexter was rushed to Luxstowe Vets in Liskeard by his worried owners after he suffered a fit and collapsed at home in Torpoint.

Blood tests and an ultrasound scan revealed there was an enormous mass within the dog’s abdomen and he was immediately taken into surgery.

Vet Tom Beale said the tumour was attached to Dexter’s spleen and, because it was so big, he needed to perform a splenectomy and remove the entire organ.

The mass removed from Dexter’s abdomen weighed 3.36kg – roughly the same as a house brick and measured 27cm X 23cm. Luckily, tests showed that the tumour, which was identified as a nodular lymphoid hyperplasia was not malignant and Dexter has gone on to make an excellentrecovery.

Back home in Torpoint with owners James and Helen Tupper and their 13-year-old son Charlie, Dexter has been enjoying a new lease of life.