Cheems In 'Good Health' After Having A Toe Amputated To Remove Melanoma

Dogelore icon Balltze, better known online as the meme character Cheems, is in good health after going through a toe amputation surgery to remove a melanoma from his paw.

Yesterday, Balltze's owner Kathy, who we interviewed in late 2020, made an emotional post to Instagram sharing that vets found a "black lump" on the Shiba Inu's paw.

After a test, the lump was diagnosed as melanoma. She then went on to reveal that Balltze had a "life-saving" surgery on Thursday (June 23rd) to have the toe removed. "Ball is the bravest boy ever," she wrote, "I can finally say he’s in good health again." The two photos that accompany the post, which has gained over 48,000 likes in under a day, show Balltze sitting in a stroller and wearing a donut around his neck.

The last month hasn't been easy for Balltze. In May, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis, resulting in an outpouring of well-wishes from fans. By early June, Balltze had fully recovered from the illness after a recovery regiment that included a special prescription diet.

The recent news of Balltze's successful melanoma removal has inspired celebration among his biggest fans, including the members of the /r/dogelore subreddit. Just yesterday, Redditor WillFeedForLP made a post titled, "Cheems beat cancer!!!!" that's already gained over 5,100 upvotes so far as commenters celebrate the successful recovery of one of the most famous dogs in memes.

First emerging in memes back in 2019, Balltze has rapidly become one of the most widely memed dogs around with numerous formats ranging from Swole Doge vs. Cheems and Dorime Cheems to Bonk and Godzilla vs. Kong vs. Cheems.

If there was ever a time that Cheems deserved a cheemsburger, it's now.