'My dog saved my life by detecting my cancer'

A former veterinary nurse has said her dog saved her life by detecting cancer in its very early stages.

Colleen Ferguson, 70. who lives in Headcorn, Kent, first suspected something may be wrong when her German Shepherd, named Inca, began repeatedly trying to sniff her breath.

The pet's odd behaviour prompted Ferguson to get checked out, which resulted in a diagnosis of stage one lung cancer.

"The surgeon who cut a golf ball-sized lump from my left lung told me Inca had saved my life," she said.

Ferguson said: "I was doing some obedience training with Inca back in 2015, when she was just two-years-old.

"All of a sudden, she kept trying to sniff my mouth and looked all concerned. I just couldn't push her away.

"Then, one day, I woke up from a nap to find her sitting with her nose a millimetre from my face.

"It was at that point I told my husband I was going to get some tests done."

But, despite her routine blood work coming back clear, she could not shake the feeling Inca was onto something, so she paid privately for a full body scan.

"They diagnosed me with first stage lung cancer," she said.

"I couldn't believe it - other than being a bit tired I had no symptoms at all and have never been a smoker."

Medical staff were quick to praise Inca, she said.

"They told me that it's virtually impossible to catch cancer that early, unless you're already having a scan for something else. And, as a result, I didn't need radiotherapy or chemo.

"The surgeon just said, 'That dog saved you, now go live your life'."

Having since studied creative writing, Ferguson is now a self-published author, and said she made sure she tells Inca what a good girl she is every chance she gets.

"She gets plenty of treats, that's for sure," she said.

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