Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick’s loving companion, Jill, has crossed the rainbow bridge. The Valley couple confirmed the sad news on Friday, January 2, just weeks after the beloved German shepherd was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma — a highly aggressive cancer of blood vessels.
“Rest well, sweet girl. Life won’t be the same without you, jolly bean,” Kristen captioned photos of the family pet. “Rest easy Sweet Jill. We love you always.”
Kristen Doute & Luke Broderick’s dog Jill receives a cancer diagnosis
Kristen spoke about Jill’s health issues in the December 12, 2025, episode of her Balancing Act podcast, featuring special guest Brittany Cartwright. Kristen said they realized something was wrong with Jill in early December, when she returned from the groomer with an abnormally bloated stomach.
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“I’m talking, like, it looked like she was about to give birth,” the Vanderpump Rules alum recalled. “Her belly was hard. So Luke was obviously extremely worried. But bloat is apparently very common in German shepherds, and it was so big and so fast. Luke told me that Jill’s dad had actually died from bloat… The twisted stomach blocks blood flow. It can affect blood returning to the heart. So this is what we thought it was.”
Kristen and Luke ended up taking Jill to the veterinary emergency room, which is when doctors discovered that Jill had internal bleeding from a ruptured tumor on her spleen. Jill immediately underwent surgery to remove the organ, which was eventually biopsied.
“They did not find any other tumors, which was such a great sign,” she continued. “The next morning, we found out that she did lose all of her blood volume. I believe it was about 5 liters, which is just insane to me. The doctors continued to give her blood transfusions over the course of about three days.”
Kristen Doute & Luke Broderick take their German shepherd on a final trip
Shortly after Jill’s surgery, doctors informed Kristen and Luke that Jill had blood vessel cancer. The engaged couple knew that the dog’s time was limited, so they decided to take Jill to Colorado for her final days. Kristen documented the family trip on Instagram, posting photos of Jill riding in the car alongside her baby girl, Kaia Lily, and adorable Yorkie, Gibson.
“Off we go to spend christmas in colorado,” she captioned a Story. “Jill has [hemangiosarcoma] and we want to give her the best trip…
“She had a tumor on her spleen rupture, so we had her spleen removed and she had blood transfusions over 3 days a couple of weeks ago,” she added in another Story. “Biopsy came back malignant. We’ve been trying to get her into see[ing] an oncologist to discuss chemo and we know her time is limited. She’s had amazing energy, but we have to keep her calm still. We are feeding her the best food, and giving her yunnan baiyao. We have a few rescue meds from our vet in case she hits a lull.”
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She shed more light on the excursion in a subsequent post, saying she and Luke chose to spend the holiday in the Mile High State because it was Jill’s favorite place.
“Rest well Momma Jill,” she wrote in another tribute. “Love you endlessly.”
Look back at Kristen and Luke’s bond with Jill, and how the pooch reacted to their baby girl, Kaia Lily.
