Cameron Mathison's Loss Of Cherished Family Dog Red Hits Close To Home

"General Hospital's" Cameron Mathison is known for making his audience smile with his work with the Hallmark Channel. Sadly, the charismatic actor who brings so much joy to others is undergoing a difficult time after losing someone very close to him. On December 11, Mathison announced that he had lost his "best buddy," aka his family dog, to cancer.

The soap opera vet — who recently joined the Great American Family network –  went on Instagram to share the news that his Doberman, Red, had passed away. "So incredibly sad to say our sweet Red has lost his battle with cancer," the "Murder, She Baked" star penned. The heartbreaking announcement was accompanied by a reel of photos featuring the family pup over the years. The photos show the happy dog living his fullest life with his family: he is seen going on snowy hikes, taking a trip to the beach, and snuggling with his human companions. Mathison took comfort in the fact that his furry family member passed away in his sleep and didn't experience pain in his last days. He was also grateful for their time together. "So so many great memories ... grateful for all of them. I miss you already sweet boy," he closed the post.

The death of his dog due to cancer must be extremely tough on Mathison, especially since this isn't his first time dealing with the formidable disease.

Red's cancer diagnosis was undoubtedly a very difficult time for Cameron Mathison and his family. Mathison was most likely able to empathize with his pup, as he has also had a cancer scare in the past. In 2019, the "Good Morning America" contributor broke the scary news that he had been diagnosed with cancer to his Instagram followers. In the post, he shared a photo of his family and explained that his doctor located a tumor on his kidney. "It's consistent with Renal Cell Carcinoma ... or kidney cancer," he wrote (via USA Today). Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer and often doesn't show any symptoms. Thankfully, Mathison was able to catch it early. He is now living cancer-free after undergoing a potentially life-saving kidney surgery.

Now, a few short years after being cleared of the disease himself, Mathison is still suffering a loss because of cancer. The death of his beloved dog came less than a year after Red's initial cancer diagnosis. During an episode of the "Hallmarkies Podcast," the "All My Children" alum revealed that veterinarians had discovered cancer in Red's bone marrow and along his spine. He was subsequently prescribed medication to help ease the pain. Fortunately, the medication did as it was intended and lessened Red's suffering. After asking his fans for love, Mathison noted that Red was still able to play with his family and run around despite his unfortunate diagnosis. We hope his family will take comfort in knowing that they gave their dog so much love and made his last days as pleasant as they possibly could.