Kirk Herbstreit gives worrying health update on his dog Ben

ESPN college football analyst and Amazon NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s dog Ben is perhaps even more famous than he is. Ben, a golden retriever, regularly travels with Herbstreit to his broadcasting appearances. But Herbstreit has spoken for a while about how Ben has been battling leukemia and lymphoma, and provided a concerning update on how that’s going Monday night:

I’ve had so many people asking me about Ben that I wanted to let you know-Ben had a 2nd chemo injection on October 23rd and from that day has been getting worse and worse. He has lost use of his back legs-almost like they’re paralyzed. He can barely walk. He hasn’t eaten in 3… pic.twitter.com/NTjX8Xc1zb

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 5, 2024

Here’s the full text of that post:

I’ve had so many people asking me about Ben that I wanted to let you know-Ben had a 2nd chemo injection on October 23rd and from that day has been getting worse and worse. He has lost use of his back legs-almost like they’re paralyzed. He can barely walk. He hasn’t eaten in 3 days. I’m currently in Pennsylvania with a holistic Dr who is administering a 3 day Vitamin C IV hoping it will flush the toxics from his body and give him a chance.

The next 24-48 hours will tell us if he has a chance or not. I’m so thankful for ALL the love so many have shown him over the last couple years. One of the hardest things I’ve gone through in my life. Ben is my best friend and companion. I love him with all of my heart. If you’re a spiritual person I’d love for you to pray for my boy. 🙏🏼 He’s currently in an ER hospital overnight and I’m picking him up tomorrow for another round of Vitamin C. Please pray for Ben and hope he pulls out of it.

As mentioned, Herbstreit’s previously talked about Ben’s health issues. But he’s continued to take Ben on the road whenever possible, telling reporters (including AA’s Sean Keeley) at an appearance at Raisin’ Canes in Austin on Oct. 18 that “it feeds [Ben’s] soul to be out on the road with people and interacting and meeting people.” But it sounds like Ben’s health issues have gotten much tougher of late, which has led to him being unable to accompany Herbstreit to some recent broadcasts. And it’s unfortunate to hear that things are going so poorly for him.

Ben has become incredibly beloved throughout the sports world, by everyone from coaches to fans to Herbstreit’s broadcast colleagues. We send all the good thoughts to him and Kirk here.

[Kirk Herbstreit on X]