How to tell the difference *before* you get in a panic and rush to the doctor, sure that your dog has a malignant tumor?

I've got more lumps than I've got dogs, and so far they've mostly been diagnosed as non-malignant fatty tumors. So I've decided to ignore them, unless they are growing really fast, or develop into a sore that doesn't heal - Does that sound reasonable?

When our vet feels the lumps she says they are not attached to the bone so not to worry. But I'm sure one of our resident vets/tech will be able to help. Good question. The first time I found one I was very anxious but looked over and realized both my dogs had the exact same lump in the exact same place. Very odd!! I took them both in and she sort of moved the lump and said it wasn't attached and that she could do a biopsy but didn't feel it was necessary.

I believe that's what I was told some time ago also. But if it's in a bad place, like Bobo's was in the lower intestine, it's risky thing, and must be removed. His was benign. Then his brother Arthur developed a fast-growing lump in the belly area and I had it removed because it was so large, and potentially a problem. It also was benign. Now, their brother has several lumps on his body, but none of them seem to be where they would cause problems, and I'm going to just adopt a wait-and-see attitude. (They are 9 years old.)

Amber, the old boxer, has a lump under her tail, at the base, where it could interfere with her going to the bathroom if it gets larger. The vet feels it must be removed, but not immediately, so we're just watching it.

Most skin masses can be aspirated pretty easily, so that is often a good thing to do. I'm pretty comfortable with "ignoring" masses that feel like lipoams as long as they dont grow fast, especially if the dog has been a known "lipoma factory" in the past. Even lipomas can be good to remove, depending on location.

Muscat, what is inside those fatty lumps? Is it globs of fat?

One of my dogs had a cyst on her chest for years. It was aspirated originally, so all we did was watch it. It evidently ruptured recently, because I can't find it now. (She is a collie, so lots of fur)

My girl developed cancer at age two. Her type of cancer is very commom in Boxers but not so commom at such a young age. Median age is more between the ages of 8-9.

She is now 5 1/2 and has had MANY tumors removed. All were cancerous. Her worst tumor, grade 2/advanced, was deemed a dermal cyst (not cancer) in May of 07 via a needle aspirate.
Feb of 08 while other tumors were being removed I asked that the "dermal cyst" be removed since it was continuing to grow. It was the ADVANCED cancerous tumor.
There is NO WAY to know FOR SURE what ANYTHING is unless it is removed and sent to pathology.

NONE of my girls tumors were ever attached to bone. All were sitting on the skin or directly under it. Some felt fluid filled. Others were hard. Some moved easily, some didn't. ALL were the same type of cancer. Two removed in Feb didn't come back with clean margins and a 2nd surgery had to be performed to remove more tissue. Clean margins were then obtained.

She will be fine for a while and then BOOM they show up and get removed. At this point I have them removed without any apsiration. One was aspirated in 05 and we were told it was cancerous. It was removed/tested and deemed NOT cancer.

She currently has 10-- TEN new, grain of rice sized lumps that will be checked out by her oncologist this Friday. Surgery is in her near future.

You can NEVER be too careful. Your "traditional" vets may be great at managing your pets day to day health issues but they do not specialize in cancer. What it looks like, feels like or treatments for all the various types that can afflict dogs.

Certain breeds are more prone to certain types. Research what is more commom for your breed and have things checked out. Even if a punch biopsy is done (without sedation) you can send off tissue to a pathologist to get tested. Only sure way to know what you are dealing with. Cancer left untreated will eventually cause death. Even non-cancerous tumors can cause problems depending on their location on the body and how they grow (out or down/inside).

I don't mean to scare anyone but I have been living with this for nearly 4 years now. I wish someone would have scared me a little......

Cami, you have really been thru a lot with your boxers! My best friend, a boxer named Queenie, passed away a little over a year ago. It was determined that she probably had a brain tumor, because of her symptoms, but when doing prelim tests to performa CTscan, the doctor found a very serious heart condition, which could cause sudden death at any time. The next day she walked into DH's truck and died instantly.

I am glad she didn't have to suffer the agony of the brain tumor, but will always be sad that we didn't have more time together, or a chance to say goodbye. She was 9 years old, and my first experience with the wonderful world of boxers.

Amber, the 14-year-old (maybe)had a small tumor removed from the bone in her foot several years ago, and we were sure it would be malignant. But it came back benign, and she's never had anymore problems with the foot. But she's the one with the growth under her tail, which I will probably have removed next week. She also has other health issues, so I'm not real comfortable with sedation, but it must be done.

(Sorry this is so long, but I AM a boxer-lover!)

I pray that all goes well with the removal of the lump.
I have just the one Boxer and sadly all of the health issues I refer to are hers and hers alone!
She also has heart issues and had a sudden collapse at age three. Luckily she survived was tested and we know what we are fighting.
Just had her back at the cardiologist last week and so far so good (minus issues we already know about).
She has been through so much in her life starting at birth when she nearly died (five of her litter mates DID die), She's tough and a fighter with two parents who continue to do everything in their power to keep her happy!

I'm sorry - for some reason I was thinking you had already lost one boxer, but still had one.
Senior moment!

quote:

Originally posted by PK1:
Muscat, what is inside those fatty lumps? Is it globs of fat?

In a true, benign lipoma, yes, it really is just fat. I always tell people that aspiration is a limited diagnostic test, as some types of cancers dont yield a very cellular sample with just a needle sample, but it is a good start. You have to take breed, age, history and other factors into consideration.

Mast cell tumors can occur in any breed of dog, but Boxers take the gold medal for scary mast cell disease. I agree with camiboxer that once a boxer has has even one little grade I MCT, all subsequent lumps have to be treated differently than you would in another dog. That being said, it is also not necessarily realistic to expect every owner/pet to let me remove and biopsy every little lump- it just wont happen. Every dog and every pet owner has to be handled individually, and some people are more willing to be proactive and aggressive than others, and a pet's other health issues may influence how aggressively one deals with lumps and bumps.

Can't you apply the human cancer rules to dogs? A wound that doesn't heal, a fast-growing lump, (don't remember all the warning signs now).

There is an "ABCD" thing for human skin cancer...
A- Asymmetry
B- Border Irregularity
C- Color
D- Diameter

In human skin cancer I suspect this works because we don't have the hair that dogs do and can monitor things on a daily basis. Sometimes when we finally notice something on a dog THROUGH it's hair/fur it's been there for quite some time. Usually at the first sign of something on a dog it's good to use the 3-day rule. If it goes away in three days they *should* be ok and fine with monitoring. If it changes for the better you can *assume* it's ok with continued monitoring. If it changes for the worse or doesn't change then it needs to be seen by a vet.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: camiboxer,

My dog also has lumps (look like warts) I had them biopsied last year and was told that they are common in older dogs, can't be cured and are non cancerous cellular in nature. I recently got some BSST, which is an herbal immune booster. My dog has been on that stuff for two weeks. Hopefully, it will prevent any more of these growths to show up.

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet...-Formula/999040.aspx

Update: It appears that the immune system is boosted with BSST. My dog's tear stains have disappeared. Hope it also helps with her skin condition.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sugarbugger,

bump

Some are just acne, some are fatty, and a few are cancerous. Only you vet can tell for sure. I would vote to get them removed unless the dog is too old and frail to survive the procedure.

My collie who is covered in bumps is much too old and frail - she's 15, with a heart condition. So I try to make sure the lumps don't get raw or infected, but nothing else.

Lost my 8 yo DObie in June... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with lump!! Felt this big grape sized lump on her belly. Took her to vet. She stuck it with needle and sucked out fat. Nothing to worry about.

Previous DObie had a lump on thigh. Again told not to worry about it. Told like a ****le that just never reached the surface. Came home one day and she had thos HOLE on her leg about the size of a fifty cent piece. Don't even wanna think about how gross that must have been. Off to vet. She was "old" by that point. Options... surgery to cut stuff out and close (cosmetic) ot just keep clean. Good old girl lived several more years and hole was only a dime sized scar.

I have an 8 yr old shih tzu that has had fatty cysts for several years. I had the first one removed and it make sure it was benign. After that I've just watch and when they get large enough I am able to squeeze them to remove the fatty center. Gypsy is good about it and lets me do it without complaining. Another one always seems to be growing somewhere but they have slowed down in the number that come at one time and how fast they mature. A trip to the vet when they are first discovered seems wise, if only to give you peace of mind that they are not cancerous.

I had some removed during her dental cleaning while she was under anesthesia. But these "warts" are multiplying fast and furious.

Lets hope that BSST will help.

Amber is scheduled for surgery to have her growth under her tail removed next Thursday. Let's hope it is *not* malignant, but at 14 years old, I guess I'm resigned to some kind of end-of-life problem.

Don't worry until you have something to worry about! Been there done that and it doesn't help anything. Being cautious and having it removed is a GOOD thing, especially if it is cancerous or if not but it would eventually affect Amber by it's location/size.
Sending good vibes that it is nothing more than a "thing" that won't return and hasn't spread.
Did the vet give any indication of what he/she thought it was? Was a needle aspirate done?
I only ask because *sometimes* depending on what they think it might be some meds can and SHOULD be given prior to surgery to eliminate possible affects that the tumor (lump, whatever) might cause by being removed. Example....if it *might* be a mast cell tumor then administering something as simple as Benedryl prior to surgery will help with the release of histamine. It can also be given after surgery during recovery to help the area heal. MCT's components weaken healthy tissue near the site and sometimes the incision has a hard time healing. Benedryl in those instances help.
Keep us posted.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: camiboxer,

It seems to me you can tell from looking at it that there is blood in it, and it seems to have grown and become inflamed over the past few days. We discussed it yesterday, and he seems to feel it will be a "clean" removal - that it doesn't extend beyond the actual site. But of course there's no way to know if it's malignant except with a biopsy, I guess.

If I have ever felt a lump on any of my danes they go to the vet for my piece of mind as well as their health. I don't take any chances. They are trained to feel deep into kidneys, intestine, etc. They go at least once a year for a thorough exam and If I feel any lumps they go.