A woman from Berkshire has revealed how she and her dog both underwent treatment for breast cancer, with both now cancer-free. Vickie Doogan, 52, was first diagnosed at age 39 after finding a lump in her left arm. She underwent chemotherapy and recovered, but was diagnosed again at 44 and had a double mastectomy.
After her second diagnosis, Vickie got a poochon named Dolly to support her during recovery. Seven years later, in February 2026, Dolly was also diagnosed with breast cancer after a vet found a lump under a nipple during a check-up for an upset stomach. Dolly had a mastectomy, which Vickie said she did not know dogs could have.
Vickie, from Ascot, said: 'When I was first diagnosed, I was absolutely floored. I was 39, fit, healthy, and there was no lump in my breast. Chemo was brutal but I responded well.' She later learned she carries the altered BRCA2 gene, making her more prone to breast cancer.
Dolly's cancer was low-grade and required no follow-up treatment. Vickie said: 'People said it's like she's mirroring how I dealt with it. Now I'm living my best life again. I want people to know that although breast cancer is scary, you can still live a really full life.'
New figures from Breast Cancer Now show nearly one million people in the UK are living with or beyond a breast cancer diagnosis, a number projected to rise to over 1.4 million by 2050.
