If you’ve ever met Dazza, you’ll know he’s impossible not to love.
At 12 years old, this sweet English Staffy has perfected the art of winning people over. Adopted by Ami and Aaron four years ago, Dazza is gentle, affectionate and happiest when surrounded by the people he loves.
Most mornings start the same way for Dazza: breakfast, followed by his daily walk to his favourite local café, Equium Social, where his mission is simple: collect as many pats as possible. Rumour has it the highlight of his café visits was meeting his favourite Newcastle Knights player, Dylan Brown, making his favourite café even harder to top.
At home, he’s a creature of habit, a champion lounge lizard and one of the Newcastle Knights faithful. He loves spending time with his Staffy sister, Bronte, shares a pretty special bromance with his dad, Aaron, and come game day, you’ll find the boys side by side on the lounge cheering the Knights home.
So, when Dazza didn’t finish his breakfast one morning, his family noticed.
For a dog who never misses a meal, it was unusual. He seemed a little flat, wasn’t interested in his morning walk and just didn’t seem like himself. Ami kept a close eye on him and, by the end of the day, he seemed much better. Sure enough, the following morning he was back to his normal self.
Then, just one week later, everything changed.
Dazza suddenly refused to eat, wouldn’t stand or walk, was extremely lethargic and was breathing heavily. His family knew this wasn’t just an off day. They trusted their instincts and brought him straight to AREC.
From the moment he arrived, our emergency team moved quickly. Dazza was triaged before undergoing an ultrasound, which revealed a large splenic mass that had likely ruptured. While he received emergency treatment and further blood tests were performed, his family waited anxiously as the team carefully explained what they had found and talked them through the different treatment options.
Dazza was then referred to specialist surgeon Dr Adheip Prabakaran and AREC’s Surgery team. A CT scan confirmed that he was a suitable candidate for surgery. It also identified a previously undetected nodule on his liver, which could be removed during the same procedure. Knowing both issues could be addressed at the same time gave Dazza’s family some much-needed reassurance before he headed into surgery.
“It was one of the most stressful days we’ve ever experienced,” Ami recalls.
“But Dr Adheip kept us updated every step of the way. Every test, every decision and every possible outcome was explained so clearly that we never felt rushed, pressured or left wondering what was happening. It helped us make the best decisions for Dazza during an incredibly frightening and uncertain time.”
That same day, Dr Adheip performed an emergency splenectomy, a surgery to remove Dazza’s spleen, along with the affected section of his liver. While the spleen plays an important role in filtering blood and supporting the immune system, dogs can live happy, healthy lives without it.
Removing the damaged spleen stopped the internal bleeding and allowed the tissue to be sent away for testing. After spending the next two days recovering in hospital, Dazza was well enough to head home with his family.
About a week later came the phone call every pet owner hopes for. The pathology results confirmed the splenic mass was benign, the liver tumour had been completely removed, and Dazza was in the clear. It was the best news they could have hoped for after such an emotional rollercoaster.
Today, Dazza is back where he belongs, enjoying life with Ami, Aaron and his sister Bronte. Best of all, he’s back to being himself.
Dazza’s family has one important message for other pet owners.
“Trust your instincts. We almost dismissed the early signs because Dazza seemed to recover so quickly after that first episode. Looking back, the biggest clue wasn’t one specific symptom. It was simply that he wasn’t acting like himself.
Pet owners know their babies better than anyone. If they’re suddenly quieter than usual, reluctant to eat, seem weak, are breathing differently, or you just have a feeling something isn’t right, don’t ignore it. Had we waited any longer, Dazza might not be with us today,” said Ami.
Thank you to Ami and Aaron for allowing us to share Dazza’s story and for trusting the AREC team with your beautiful boy. Seeing Dazza back where he belongs, living his best life with Ami, Aaron and Bronte, is the best ending we could have hoped for.
Read more about AREC’s Surgery team and Dr Adheip.
