Aw Lauran thats so sad.


My "getting old" (she's almost 11 now) doberman rescue dog has a lump she'll be getting removed on the 3rd of January because it's a malignant tumor It's on the side of her mouth. She's been terribly patient about it as it's been growing in size for some time, but I wanted to make sure our family vet was back in town (i swear i trust you temporary vet!) She's lost a little bit of weight as well as it's been pulling her bottom lip down making it difficult for her to eat.

Sorry to hear about all these lumps.

I second what Claudia said. It's easy to get it aspirated and it will put your mind at rest (but maybe you did this already).

Nope, it hasn't been aspirated yet. The last time I took her he said that it didn't need to be. I trust him, I really do, but it would put my mind at rest. The next time I take her I'll push the subject. I don't want to take her to another vet before I insist on him doing it. We've been going to him since we got Mya and he's always been awesome. If you really doesn't think it needs to be then I'll take her elsewhere to get it done.

How is Ghost doing?

Dr. Miller didn't think it was anything but fatty tissue, but because she's had this happen once before where she thought it was 'just a fatty deposit' and didn't aspirate it. As it turned out, it was cancer and it spread so fast, that had she just did a simple aspiration and looked under the microscope with only takes 5 minutes to do, she would've caught it early enough that the dog's life wouldn't had been cut short due to cancer.

I don't mean to scare you, but just as in the case with Storm, she thought it was 'just a fatty deposit' and as it turns out, there were abnormal cells that were 'protected' by fatty tissue.

It didn't cost ANYTHING extra for us to aspirate the lump in Storm. When she removed it, it was mostly fatty tissue, but she did see a few more abnormal cells than when she first aspirated it 2 months prior.

If we didn't aspirate it, and just chucked it off to it being a fatty deposit that didn't get any bigger 2 months later, which allowed the abnormal cells to multiply, I think I couldn't help myself but blame me if those abnormal cells were in fact cancer and I let it be until I noticed it got bigger instead of doing a simple aspiration.

Ghost is sleeping now. Thanks for asking. He seems more comfortable than earlier.

The fine needle aspiration only takes a moment, so it's easy to ask your regular vet next time you are there.