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Old February 9th, 2017, 10:44 AM
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Marty11 Marty11 is offline
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Lump on Dog's leg

Hi members. I have not posted for awhile but I have been following lots of stories. I have a new issue that showed up on my Boston Terrier. I have an attached photo. My vet wants to remove by surgery. I just want an opinion if I should do it ASAP or get another opinion or wait for a bit and see if it shrinks on it's own. I have no issues with paying for it, but she has gone through 5 surgeries being a breeding dog and would like to avoid a 6th one. She is 8 now. What kind of suggestions do you have? Her other surgeries for caesarians hernia and spay.
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Old February 9th, 2017, 01:14 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Can you have a biopsy on the lump to see if it's cancer ?
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Old February 9th, 2017, 01:31 PM
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She didn't suggest that. She said it was large enough to remove and also it could get bigger and longer surgery will be necessary if I wait. She also said she would of course send it in for testing as part of the fee to check for cancer.
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Old February 9th, 2017, 03:53 PM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
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Why does your vet want to remove it? If it's not causing a problem for your pup I would be inclined to leave it alone.

Did your vet offer to perform a fine needle aspiration? A quick look under the microscope of the aspirated cells and your vet can determine whether the cells are innocent or something serious.
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Old February 9th, 2017, 06:12 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Any idea why the hair is gone? Has she been licking it? Has it been rubbed off? It looks gnarly enough that, if it were us, we'd have it taken off before it gets bigger. I agree with your vet: right now it looks like it would be fairly easy to remove but if it got much bigger.... Limbs don't typically have a lot of muscle and supportive tissue to spare, so you want to take off the lump while it's still small and the surgeon won't have to take as much healthy tissue to get a clean margin.

An aspiration might tell you something, but unless it comes back as a benign lipoma (which don't usually cause hair loss), the results are likely to be inconclusive or misleading. At least, that's been our experience with aspiration biopsies... Still, a biopsy would give you more to go on and typically, results only take a week or so.
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Old February 9th, 2017, 09:14 PM
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Hazelrunpack that is exactly what she said. Small ones are easier to re attach the tissue especially where it is located. No idea why there is no hair there. I have seen her touch it once, clever girl put her foot on a ledge so she could reach it. It doesn't hurt to touch and she doesn't limp and it's fairly hard. I am leaning towards removing it. Said it was a 10 min procedure.
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Old February 9th, 2017, 10:49 PM
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If it were us, given that it's hard (not squishier, like a lipoma), we'd be leaning that way, too. A pathological evaluation after removal will give a much more definitive answer as to what it is, too, so likely we'd skip the fine needle aspiration beforehand. A 10 minute procedure means minimal anesthesia, which is good, too.
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Old February 10th, 2017, 12:02 AM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
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Hopefully this lump is nothing serious.

We all have different opinions and experiences to share. If this were my pup I would definitely have a fine needle aspiration done before the surgery. Should this be a mast cell tumour then you will want to treat your pup with antihistamines before any surgery. Once these MCT are cut into the histamine cells disperse into the surrounding tissues. Best of luck with your pup.
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Old February 10th, 2017, 09:16 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Yo could ask a second Vet but I can understand taking if off when it's small and there is less of a hole to fix.

The hair loss looks like it might be rubbing off as I think I can see the roots. However, I broke my leg once, hairline fracture only, and the leg tissues swelled up really large and stretched the skin and all the hair on that part fell out. I felt like saying, "here, break the other one too." Unfortunately for me (but good for Lady Schick) they all grew back. Maybe the same for this lump?
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Old March 24th, 2017, 09:58 AM
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Lump was removed successfully. All clear. She was given a dose of antihistamine before the surgery just as someone suggested. It may or may not grow back. Time will tell. She healed perfectly.
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Old March 24th, 2017, 01:09 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Glad to hear the surgery went well, Marty11! Hope the path report is good!
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Old March 24th, 2017, 10:43 PM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
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That's great news!
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Old May 4th, 2017, 11:25 AM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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What did the pathology report say? What was the lump?
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