Dog Finds Woman's Breast Cancer
Breanna Bortner believes her dog helped save her life.
The Minnesota native, now 31, told Fox News Digital she had always heard stories about dogs sensing illness but never imagined she would experience it herself.
In 2023, Bortner found a lump in her breast. While she waited about six weeks for a biopsy, her cockapoo Mochi became unusually fixated on the side where the lump was located — a behavior she said was completely out of character.
"Even when I had been sick in the past or dealt with other things, he had never done that, so that was the first time that I really noticed how in tune he was to my body," Bortner told Fox News.
When the biopsy results came back, they confirmed what Mochi already seemed to know. Bortner was diagnosed with stage 2B triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer that, according to the American Cancer Society, is harder to treat because it lacks hormone receptors that certain therapies target.
"I was like, oh my gosh, he’s known this whole time. Before I knew and the doctors knew," she told Fox News.
After her diagnosis, Bortner began five and a half months of chemotherapy, completing 16 rounds in total. She said reframing her treatment helped her cope. "Chemotherapy is a very scary, daunting word," she said. "I found that calling them ‘healing sessions’ instead of chemotherapy was better for me."
Throughout treatment, Mochi — who she calls her "soul dog" — remained a constant source of motivation. Just 2 years old at the time, Mochi gave Bortner a reason to get up every day, even when the physical and emotional toll of treatment made it difficult.
"I was like, I cannot leave this earth before you do," she told Fox News. "I should be the one burying you. You shouldn't be the one having to lose your human mom."
Even small routines like feeding Mochi or taking him for walks helped her stay active and grounded. During the worst stretches, when Bortner lost her hair, Mochi would search through the trash to find and smell strands of her hair, clinging to her scent. Even now, nearly a year out from finishing treatment, he still digs through the trash out of habit.
Today, Bortner shares her experience through her blog Brave Beautiful Boobies, mentoring others navigating cancer and offering a glimpse of hope. "It just brings a smile to my face when things come full circle — and now I'm on the other end, mentoring people through their cancer journeys," she said.
Medical experts are not surprised by stories like Bortner’s. Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor at NYU Langone Health and senior medical analyst for Fox News, said dogs have an "exquisite sense of smell."
"There is evidence in the medical literature that they can in fact smell the abnormal cancer proteins," Siegel told Fox News. "Artificial canine noses have been created relying on this response. Artificial intelligence is now enhancing this ability."
Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, medical director of gastrointestinal medical oncology at City of Hope in Orange County, California, also told Fox News that it makes sense. Dogs, he said, are likely able to detect odors associated with chemicals linked to cancer, which can show up in blood, urine or even breath.
"There is a lot of information that can be non-invasively found in blood, urine or other bodily fluids," Kasi explained. "It has been demonstrated that dogs, and potentially other animals, are likely able to detect some of the odors associated with certain chemicals linked to cancer."
