Earlier I found a lump in River's mouth and am duly wibbling about it :-(  This be it:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JSJ5nLBL4OI/U5RIbxpCbkI/AAAAAAAACBM/-mK7Ib5yJt8/w702-h527-no/rivermouth.jpg

Found it by accident - she was coming back in from the garden, I went to stroke her, missed as she turned and touched her face and she squeaked.  She doesn't like me manipulating it, it hurts.  Moves a bit though.  Surface is smooth, just skin - no sign of trauma at all so I don't think it's to do with a tooth or injury.  Not too clear from the pic but it's under the skin where her upper lip goes into her cheek at the corner of her mouth, about an inch from where her gums start.

Anyone any experience?

My oldie has epulis which is a lump on the gum the vet won't remove it because of her liver disease it's to risky to give her a GA but it doesn't bother her. It does sound the same thing.

Please get it checked out ASAP, I had this with one of mine a few years ago and although it could be nothing to worry about, with mine it was serious. Try not to worry until you know what it is but please, please don't delay in getting it checked. Fingers crossed for you.

Oh heck no, she'll be seeing a vet tomorrow!

Lucas had a epulis some years ago which was removed & thankfully found to be benign, from memory it wasn't smooth but rather like a miniature cauliflower!
Wishing River all the best, let us know how it goes, fingers & paws crossed.

Alternatively a salivary cyst, needs Antibiotics.

That's the sort of thing I'm hoping for.  She's booked in for 2.45pm.  It's only just gone 2 months since I lost Opi to cancer (albeit of a different kind), I just can't be facing the same thing with River.  Not an option!

Oral cancer isn't unknown in dogs, although with the one case we had, discovered during a dental, right at the back of his mouth where the jaws met, it was a tiny black lump.    Not to anticipate the worst because this could be something entirely different but I'd get this looked at asap.    Sadly with Mannie, his tumour was removed, but it started growing back, and then another far more aggressive one developed, further forward.   At that point we had to let him go as there was no way back for him.   He was 12 at the time so towards the end of his time, but having battled to try to save his sister a year earlier - cancer but a different one, losing him was so hard.   And he was the last of my bloodline too.

I've had to postpone the appointment until tomorrow afternoon - just as I was getting ready to head out we had a storm roll in so I'm stuck in with the phobics now.  Unavoidable unfortunately, the friend who was going to sit with everyone (having SA trouble atm with some of the rabble so I have to organise someone when I go out) is looking after another friend's three phobics so she's stuck there.  Bit miffed but can't be helped.

Sorry you had to postpone but one more day won't make any difference hope everything goes well for you at the vet good luck xx

It's being taken out on Thursday.  She didn't say anything about what it might or might not be, just that they can never tell for sure without sending it off and with the location, purely for reasons of it getting in the way if it grows much bigger, it's best to just take it away with a decent margin straight away.

I continue to wibble!

Fingers crossed, but sounds sensible.

Don't think you're wibbling at all, the epulid that Lucas had grew very quickly. Fingers crossed for Thursday, then the wait for the biopsy but finger & paws crossed for you both?

By wibble I mean I continue to be worried and antsy about what may happen :-)

My sisters dog had similar ( a bit smoother though )  when he was 6 years old, he had it removed and tested and it was bad news, I will always remember the vet calling her and how upsetting it was. My sister opted not to have chemo but to try steroids, he was on them for about four months I think and his dose cut down gradually. The lump never did grow back and he lived until he was ten and died of something un related, he was a giant x breed and we thought ten was a good age seeing as we didn't think he would get to that age.
I do hope it is good news but just in case its not you never know, it may never return like my sisters' dogs x

I hope the op goes well tomorrow and don't forget the Arnica pills.

Op went fine, just waiting on biopsy results now.  Normally inside a week but might take too.  Wibbling is ongoing...

Fingers crossed you all.

Hoping for good news!

Glad the op went ok everything crossed for the results.

Results are in - highly aggressive soft tissue sarcoma :-(  But, it is all out.  Looks like it originated from the nerve root which could explain the pain she was in - she has been so much happier with it gone.

I'm on daily watch for regrowth for a bit - spread risk is low but growth rate is high so there's a high chance it'll come back, although the margins were as big as could be done.

Phew!

so pleased the outcome is good, and that you have had a better result than I did with my girl a few years ago, hers was very aggressive but had gone too far , she was not brought round from the operation as she would have only had a couple more weeks because the vet was unable to remove it all. Didn't want to give details while you were waiting for results. Hugs to your girl.

Shame it was aggressive but very glad it was all got. Fingers and paws crossed for it not to come back.

Well, buggeration. Exactly a month after her surgery, River has another lump :-(

I've been checked the wound daily, and in the last couple of weeks there has been what looks like an ulcer on the tip of what will be the scar where it's all bumpy, and a tiny second ulcer on the gum just forward from the end of the wound.

I checked them last night at 5, the ulcer on the wound is a tiny bit bigger and getting hard so I was ready to take her in for a checkup this week anyhoo; the other ulcer was maybe half a mm bigger.

Checked her again at half 7 this morning and there's a lump just like the original, although much smaller, next to the ulcer that's on the untouched gum :-( 15 hours that's taken to grow. It's only small - maybe 3mm across - but the shape/feel is exactly the same as the original tumour. So we'll be back in asap.

Feck feckity feck.

gutted for you that it appears to have returned, but she has beaten it once so can do so again, try not to panic just yet. please keep us informed and best of luck.

So sorry.  It really isn't your year is it?   We will all be rooting for you, so come on here and release those frustrations.  We can take it.  Sending positive vibes.

So sorry you're going through the mill at the moment. Will keep everything crossed for you and hope all ends wel..

She's booked in for a checkup tomorrow.  I am now obsessively checking this new lump and maybe, just maybe, it could be a bit of scar tissue - I can vaguely see a line coming along from the wound in good light, and possibly a hint of dissolving stitch in the ulcer-y bit but I'm still certain the lumpy bit wasn't there before.  So I'm kind of in limbo til the vet sees it.  Couldn't get the one who operated - she's not in til Thursday annoyingly and I didn't want to hang about but I've got the vet who I think is the best one there.

Fingers crossed for you both & good luck tomorrow.

Fingers crossed. You are due some good luck!

Good Luck for tomorrow. 

Good luck for today.

Hope you're right and it's either scar tissue or caused by the stitch.  

Surgery again on Thursday.  Apparently, the decent margins from before were actually rather narrow - at least according to the other vet's notes.  I am a tad annoyed about that.  But this time they will be huge.

The bit I was worried about looks less worrying today but there is growth of a sort on the wound tissue - not clear whether it's sarcoma or reactive tissue though so it's all coming out and being sent off again.

Gosh I'd be rather annoyed as well! I hope they give you a discount on the second surgery and that it works out much better. At least you now have an idea of why it came back so quickly so all is not lost.

Thing is with what it was, there is a very high risk of regrowth anyway so regardless of margins, it might have happened  Hopefully though it just reactive tissue and this time we will sort the problem for good - losing three dogs to cancer in less than four months is simply not on, it is not going to happen!

Thinking of you.

Only just read your post, just want you to know that I am thinking of you and hoping for a good outcome, scar tissue or some such would be good news.

All went smoothly :-)  Bit groggy still, she's sleeping it off on the sofa. She's had a kong though :-)

She is now sporting a permanent half-smile but the gum looks SO much better than last time - no lumpy wound, this one is super neat and almost not there in its neatness. Tiny stitches so changes (of which there will hopefully be none this time) will be much easier to identify.

She's got ABs this time and a checkup next week, fingers crossed this is the end of it now!

So glad it went well :-)

Keeping everything crossed that this is the end of it xxx

Sounds good so far! Fingers and paws crossed here.

I'm so pleased to hear how well it went.  Positive thoughts for her this end.  :-)

I had a lump removed off one of mine some years ago (dog at the Bridge now) and they decided after testing that they needed further margins, and had to have it redone.  Nothing ever came back and she died of old age.

I hope the patient has you at her beck and call, waiting on her hand and foot! Fingers crossed this is the end of it xxx

How's River doing?

She's doing ok, thanks :-)  Had her post-op check yesterday and it's healing nicely, just waiting on those results but if they're as quick as last time I expect I'll have them tomorrow.

The anaesthetic's hit her hard this time - it took her three days to get over it, compared to being back to normal the next day usually.  but she's never had two close together before.  She's cheered up over the last couple of days though so we're back on track :-)

Results are in...

Reaction to the suture material only, no cancer :-D

Woohoooooooooooooooooooo!

thats good. I am happy for you :)

Brilliant!!!!

wonderful news

I have been so waiting for the results.  :-)  I am very, very pleased to hear your news.