Hi all,

I took Tink, my almost 6 month old SBT to the vets last week as I found a lump on her back leg.I was unable to take her to my usual vets as I didn't have a car that day so I took her to the local (dont like them really but had no choice) anyway they said it was a cyst and to just keep an eye on it.On Tuesday night I had a look and it seemed to have grown so I made her an appointment on Wednesday but could only get one for today.Anyway we have just come back and I am worried sick.It isnt a cyst it is a tumour :(.She has to go in Monday morning and have it removed and sent off for a biopsy.The vet seems to think it will be benign as she is so young but what if it isn't??
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing??I know nothing can be done until the results of the biopsy but has anyone had a puppy with a cancerous tumour?? and if so what was the outcome??
I am worried sick and have just had a good cry as the thought of my little Stink pot being ill is killing me (she was looking at me like I had gone mad as she is perfectly fine in herself)
Any advice or info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Sarah

Hi Sarah,
My last Staff. (though older than yours) had a tumour on her back leg which turned out to be cancerous.  She had the op. and it didn't come back.  Providing the vets remove plenty of flesh roundabout the tumour, there should be little chance of it coming back.

Good luck with it all and let us know how it goes,
Sarah.

my girl has had 3 mammary tumours over the last 5 years. As the previous poster has said, provided its caught early and the vet removes it along with a healthy margin, your dog will probably be fine. Good luck

Hi Sarah
It's so hard not to panic at this point.  I have two German Shepherds that I check over each day, eyes, ears, teeth, paws and feel for any lumps and bumps.  About six months ago I did this with my four year old bitch, everything was fine.  The next day, after their walk, I checked them again and noticed Mia had a lump near to one of the digits on her front paw which looked similar to a cauliflower head but about the size of a shirt button.  Within 15 minutes we were at the vet getting it checked and I was told it was a button tumour and that it would need to be removed.  They removed it and did a biopsy and it was benign.  According to the vet, these lumps can be quite common.  I realise every dog and sympton is different but wanted to share my experience to say that not all lumps are 'sinister'.  Good luck with Tink and I hope the outcome is good for you both.

Regards - June

Hi Sarah,

I found a lump on my 3-year old Cairn's front leg two weeks ago.  Took her to the vet and he said it looked like a tumour and not a cyst.  He said he cannot tell what it is without removing it and biopsy, but it is in such a bad place (right behind her knee) that it needs to be removed when it's still small even if it's benign so there is enough skin to close the wound properly.

So Wednesday at 8 am I dropped Abby at the vet for surgery.  At 11 the vet called to say he was not going to remove it because it had shrunk so much from the week before when he saw it.  (I thought it was smaller, but chalked it up to my imagination.)  Anyway, he's given me some cream to rub on it twice a day and it is getting smaller and softer. 

However, the vet said that because he does not know what it is the whole thing could reverse in six weeks.  So I too am worried about Abby's lump.  The vet mentioned mass cell tumours which if caught early are highly curable just by surgical removal.  If like me you always imaging the "worst" - mass cell is the most common type of cancerous tumors in dogs. 

Meanwhile - my other 3-year old Cairn has a lump on his back which the vet said was in impacted hair follicle.   That was in December and it's still there - so it seems I cannot get away from dogs and their lumps.  :-(

Your vet cannot absolutely tell the difference between a cyst and a tumour without surgery or needle aspiration at the least. That's according to my vet - who is not given to modesty, if you know what I mean.   So your puppy could very well have a cyst - they either get smaller, stay the same, or grow larger - so the fact that the lump has grown does not mean all that much really.

I will be thinking of Tink - try not to worry too much.

Having had a Carcinoma (mammary tuour) removed from a five year old bitch, who wnet on to live to over 13 1/2 the prognosis shoudl be good depending on what kind of tumoru it is and that they get it all off, even if it returns as in my girl case at 8.  this is where never leaving things to wait and see is good practice, any lumps and bumps should never be ignored.

Thank you so much for your replies,you have all helped me feel more optimistic :)

The vet said if it is anything other than a benign tumour it would be extremely rare in a pup of her age.I am feeling much better now and Tink is oblivious to any of my worries.

Thanks again :)