A woman has been left heartbroken after learning her dog's 'bit stretch' was an early sign of cancer.
TikTok user @sweeteatate is urging dog owners to visit their vet if their pet suddenly starts stretching in the 'downward dog' yoga pose.
Although this stretch doesn't always mean an animal has cancer, it can indicate they're in pain, whether it's just from eating too much after a meal time.
In the video caption, user @sweeteatate wrote: "Really wish I would have caught this sooner. #cancer"
Dr Anna Foreman, Everypaw Pet Insurance's in-house vet, has commented on the viral video - which has now racked in 11,700 views - in order to ease the mind of worried owners.
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
She said: "Looking at the video, this dog is doing something called the 'prayer position’ (similar to the ‘downward dog’ yoga pose).
"The prayer position is something we see in dogs who have abdominal pain, whether this be acute (such as involved in a gastric dilation or foreign body obstruction) or chronic (associated with masses in the abdomen or ongoing inflammatory processes).
"Stretching out the abdomen can help briefly relieve pain, much like in humans when we eat a large meal.
"Lymphoma in dogs where we see ‘lumps and weight loss’ (as described in the article) tends to be sub-typed as multicentric lymphoma, a lymphoma which affects the lymph nodes around the body, some of which are in the abdomen.
"Diagnosis tends to come from palpation of superficial lymph nodes such as the popliteal (behind the knee) and axial (in the armpits) rather than a dog doing this prayer position, however the two are not mutually exclusive."
Dr Foreman explains how dogs can stretch in a similar fashion, with their front legs stretched out and backs arched, without it meaning anything.
When this is the case, the movement normally occurs after lying down for periods of time and tends to be relatively quick and fluid.
She added: "Here we see a dog holding this stretched out position for an extended period of time, and lying down tentatively afterwards.
"Although not a classic presentation for multicentric lymphoma, the prayer position is an important thing for owners to watch out for.
"Alongside other clinical signs, such as inappetence, lethargy and vomiting with acute disease, or weight loss, and drinking more/urinating more in chronic disease, it can be an indicator of abdominal pain.
"If an animal is seen to be doing this position either multiple times in a short space of time or over a longer stretch of time on multiple occasions alongside in either situation with or without some of the other mentioned clinical signs, it is worth a vet check over.
"Equally, if any of the other clinical signs are present without an animal doing this prayer position we would always recommend having an animal checked over in case of non-abdominal disease."
While most users shared their sympathies with the TikTok user, other vets tried to clarify what this body language means.
One user said: "Vet nurse here. If I get a call from an owner explaining this, it’s an emergency situation."
Another user added: "I'm a vet tech. Doing this when they stand up/wake up is normal but when they stay in that position like this dog it usually means they're in pain."
A third user said: "Vet here. This is the 'praying position' and if prolonged or suddenly frequent, it is indicative of abdominal pain which has many causes."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
