Robert Irwin Says He Has "Faith" His Dog Stella Will Pull Through After Diagnosis

The late Steve Irwin unsurprisingly instilled an immense love and appreciation of animals in his kids. His son, Robert Irwin, shared an Instagram post about his dog Stella and wrote a heartfelt caption to share a serious health diagnosis and his hopes that she will make a full recovery.

But what happened to Robert Irwin's dog Stella, and what else has he said about her in the past?

Amid a newfound bit of fame and exposure thanks to his role as a contestant in Dancing With the Stars, Robert also has a whole new fan base here to support and follow him outside of the competition.

After he made his post about his dog, new fans were curious about what happened, while longtime followers know all about Robert's love for Stella and the fact that Stella is such an important part of his life that she has her own Instagram account.

In Robert's post, he explained that a cancerous mass was found on her, but that he has "faith" she will soon be "in the clear." He added that Stella had to undergo surgery to treat the cancerous mass, and it sounds like he plans to do whatever is necessary to make sure his dog recovers as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"She is such an important part of our little fam, so it's been stressful to say the least being away from home and away from her while she goes through this," he wrote. "I know you guys love seeing her and I love sharing her with you so wanted to give an update…She is doing OK post-surgery so far, she's my little bestie and one tough cookie."

In the past, Robert has shared numerous posts about his beloved pug Stella.

In one post, Robert is holding Stella in a doggy bed, as dog dads do, and wrote in the caption, "A princess doesn't walk." However, he had to travel to California from Australia to compete on DWTS, which is why he explained in his post how difficult it is for him to be physically away from his dog as she recovers.

Robert didn't share what Stella's prognosis is or what kind of cancer was found on her mass. According to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, pugs are among the most common dog breeds where mast cell rumors are found.

The severity of cancer found in pugs varies by case, though, and the size and potential spread can help determine how serious the diagnosis is.

It's hard to say just when Robert adopted Stella, but he was posting about her on Instagram as far back as 2020. She also has her own Instagram account, where there are fun captions, some of which are written as though Stella wrote them from her perspective.

There are photos of Stella from over the years sitting on Santa's lap, posed with the rest of Robert's family, and just hanging out. Clearly, she is an important part of Robert's life and has been for a long time.