When Muffin Zore, a cherished 13-year-old Labrador, arrived at The Small Animal Clinic in Pune struggling to breathe and barely able to walk, her owners Sumeet and Aru Zore faced what seemed like an impossible situation. Their beloved companion was suffering from large tumors in her liver and spleen, severe anemia, and dangerously low platelet counts. But what happened next represents a beautiful convergence of compassionate care and medical innovation that gave Muffin a second chance at life.

The veterinary team, led by Dr. Narendra Pardeshi, faced a significant challenge. Traditional open surgery posed too high a risk for the elderly dog given her fragile condition and the delicate nature of operating on such vascular organs. Rather than accepting defeat, the team chose to pioneer a different path. They turned to cathlab-guided embolisation, a minimally invasive procedure commonly used in human medicine but rarely attempted in veterinary practice.

On December 15, 2025, something extraordinary happened. Working alongside vascular surgeon Dr. Dharmesh Gandhi, interventional radiologist Dr. Kiran Naiknaware, and cathlab technician Kanhaiya Khaire, the veterinary team carefully guided a catheter through Muffin's femoral artery to reach the blood vessels feeding her liver tumor. By blocking the tumor's blood supply, they could shrink it without subjecting the senior dog to the trauma of major surgery.

The procedure itself was a testament to interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together human medical specialists and veterinary expertise in service of a four-legged patient who had brought 13 years of joy to her family. What makes this story even more heartwarming is that Muffin didn't need to stay overnight at the clinic. She went home the very same day to be with the people who love her.

Why This Inspires: The results speak to the power of refusing to give up on those we love. Within just 48 hours, Muffin's hemoglobin levels began climbing. When her family brought her back for a 15-day checkup, the news was better than anyone had dared hope. Her tumors had shrunk by more than 70 percent, and her abdominal swelling had reduced by the same remarkable amount.

Today, Muffin is breathing comfortably, her energy is returning, and she's alert and active once again. For a dog who couldn't get up and walk just months ago, this transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Her story reminds us that age is just a number and that senior pets deserve the same fighting chance as their younger counterparts.

This groundbreaking procedure opens doors for other animals facing similar dire diagnoses. It demonstrates that when medical professionals think creatively and work together across specialties, they can achieve outcomes that seemed impossible. For the Zore family, they get to spend more precious time with their faithful companion. For the veterinary community, this represents a new frontier in compassionate, innovative care. And for Muffin, well, she's just happy to be running around again, proving that it's never too late for a fresh start.