A dog owner has celebrated the moment her golden retriever finally became cancer-free, following two surgeries and months of chemotherapy.
Adriana Gonzalez, 24, captured the joyous moment when Eli, nicknamed Belly, strutted into the vet’s waiting room after completing her final round of chemotherapy. The adorable golden retriever wore a pink coat and accessorized it with a black headband that featured two graduation caps.
Gonzalez, from El Paso, Texas, told Newsweek she felt a “wave of happiness” on seeing her 8-year-old pup walk out of treatment one last time.
Eli was diagnosed with stage 3 mammary carcinoma and had to undergo two surgeries, followed by months of chemotherapy.
“After being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, she had surgery to remove the tumor, and then a second surgery to remove the entire mammary gland,” Gonzalez said.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a vet oncologist in El Paso, so we had to look elsewhere. We found the amazing Dr. Harrington from the VCA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. So, we’ve been taking road trips every three weeks for the last few months for her chemo,” she continued.
The treatment caused some hair thinning and weight loss, but overall, Eli has coped incredibly well. She was still full of energy and always ready for playtime.
Throughout the treatment, Gonzalez and Eli stayed at a small nearby inn where the pup became “a little sensation” with the staff and other guests. In fact, the golden retriever appeared to rather enjoy the road trips, as Gonzalez joked that she “thought she was on vacation.”
February 17 marked Eli’s final round of chemotherapy, and it’s safe to say that she’s been living her best life since.
Gonzalez said: “It was such a relief to see her march out with her doctor and all the staff behind her. I can’t stop crying over the miracle we were given. We can’t imagine the world without her. Now, she’s been eating all the steaks and treats she can get. She has energy to run around with her siblings and boss them around.”
The proud owner shared a video on TikTok (@a.a.gonzz) showing the moment Eli finished treatment. It promptly went viral, with over 1.6 million views and 528,300 likes at the time of writing.
The online response is beyond anything Gonzalez anticipated, but she’s so grateful for all the support that her pup has received. She looks forward to finally putting this difficult chapter in the past and making plenty more memories with Eli.
“Everyone has been so kind and uplifting. We’re truly over the moon and so beyond grateful,” Gonzalez continued.
In just a matter of days, the viral video has amassed over 3,300 comments on TikTok.
One person wrote: “Best news I’ve seen today.”
Another TikTok user added: “This just made my day, week, year, decade.”
While another comment reads: “She deserves the world’s largest pup cup to celebrate.”
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