We have a 10 year old shih tzu. About 2 months ago we got really worried when we discovered a large black tumor-like lump on the inside of the right side of his mouth. It would hang out of his mouth and look really disgusting. A week later we got it removed and stitched up. The doctors didn't know what to think about it, and later came to the conclusion that there was a 50% chance that it was cancer.
They said if it was cancer that it would reoccur on his neck.
He's a really healthy dogged. Raised on nothing but healthy dog food, and a scatter bit of our food every now and then. He has just as much energy as he did when he was 4 years old. It's really amazing. He tends to sleep a lot now, but he still has the energy.
We found a smaller version of the lump we removed in the same spot today...
Could it be cancer? Or could it not have been removed good enough?
We're only putting him down when he's in pain, but we can't spend $100s after $100s on these lumps...
It's so hard.
2007-11-07 09:07:18 · 4 answers · asked by Mark 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
This is a tough one. noone can really be sure if the second one was part of the first one...it's possible.
If it were my dog I would check it now and be sure none was "left behind" and if another one returned you know it's a problem. It's odd the vet didn't know if it was cancer ...usually they do a biopsy on it.
I'm no vet...but I think it may just be a cyst....keep an eye on it though! hope you doggy feels better! : )
and don't put him down...they have lives too for a reason. treat him how you would want if you were him. a cyst?you would want remedied also. you'd only want to be put down if you were in severe pain with no hope of recovering...not if just money was tight....right?
2007-11-07 09:15:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Did the vets not send a biopsy off to find out if it was cancerous?? Surely they didnt just take a guess it whether it was cancerous, as your question suggested??
Aside from this, these are not questions that can be answered on here. We can't possibly tell you if the lump was cancerous or how well it was removed! Generally lumps are removed with a 'margin' of the seemlingly healthy surrounding tissue removed to ensure that all the possibly malignant cells are collected. However, if a lump is found to be malignant you can never be sure that every cancerous cell was removed.
Normal histopathology of a skin sample, done at a laboratory can indentify if tissue is cancerous, and what type of cancer. This information, combined with clinical history can be used to deduce what the likelihood of reoccurence will be and what the prognosis might be should there be reoccurence.
You need to speak to your vets again.
Chalice
2007-11-07 09:51:15 · answer #2 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely have it biopsied and check for cancer. If it is cancerous ask your vet if the steroid prednisone would help. Prednisone will not kill the cancer, but it could help make your dog feel more comfortable by decreasing the swelling and thus give you a little more quality time. It is cheap too. Around 20-30 dollars or less for a month's supply. I hope everything works out well. Take care.
2007-11-07 10:26:35 · answer #3 · answered by Starsfan14 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't put him down unless he is suffering or in pain.
The vet should have done a biopsy on the lumps to see if they are cancer or not. They may just be just benign lump.
The only way to know is if they do a biopsy to see what it is.
You can/should get a second opinion on your dog. See what another vet says about your dog.
2007-11-07 09:16:14 · answer #4 · answered by Silver Moon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋