Ten-year-old Lola tipped the scales at 24kg, but owners Danny Short and Natalie Fordree from Dartford knew something was wrong when their beloved pet became incontinent and her tummy ballooned in size.

Vets carried out an ultrasound which revealed a huge mass, and Lola – a French Bulldog crossed with an Old English Bulldog – was referred to Linnaeus-owned Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Basildon.

It was there that the Oncology team at Southfields discovered the mass filled the entirety of her abdomen and was pressing on her organs, before Lola was passed onto soft tissue specialist surgeon Carlos Rubinos.

Lola has a new lease of life after surgery at Southfields.

He and the team operated to remove the growth, which weighed a whopping 5.3kg and was the size of two basketballs. Tests discovered the mass was a benign fatty lump, also known as a lipoma.

Carlos said: “Lola’s case saw an unusually large lipoma inside her abdomen which, if allowed to grow further, would have worsened incontinence and potentially led to more significant problems in other organs.

“The surgery to remove the 5.3kg mass was a real success, thanks to a huge team effort, and thankfully Lola’s recovery was equally as smooth, so much so that we were able to discharge her and send her home with her owners the very next day.”

Owner Natalie said: “Lola was an excellent patient when she was recovering. She took her medications with no issues and will soon be back to her normal routine.

“She’s got a new lease of life now she’s 5.3kg lighter and doesn’t have the huge mass consuming her little body.”

And the couple thanked the team for saving their pet pooch.

She added: “We would completely recommend Southfields. From start to finish they were so kind, caring and showed such an honest concern for Lola that we knew she was in good hands.

“We’d like to thank all the team for supporting us and Lola through what was quite a traumatic experience and making it as smooth as possible for us all.”