At some point, that routine brushing, bath or other home dog grooming session may lead to the discovery of a lump, bump or mass on the dog's body. This leads the pet owner to wonder, "Does my dog have a tumor? Could my dog have cancer?"
Finding a tumor on a dog can be very frightening, but many dogs tumors are benign (not cancerous). And for those dogs who are diagnosed with a malignant tumor, the canine cancer can often be successfully treated. There are also cases where the dog's skin lump or bump is not a tumor at all; it could be an area of swelling from an injury, an abscess or a fluid-filled cyst.
Examining Dog Skin Lumps and Bumps
When an owner finds a bump or lump on a dog's body, it's best to start by taking a closer look. Whenever a mass is found on a dog, a visit to the veterinary clinic is essential so that the veterinarian can examine the pet, diagnose the dog's lump and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
The veterinarian will look at the following characteristics when examining the dog's mysterious mass.
- Is the lump a defined mass or a more generalized area of swelling? If the latter is the case, the dog's lump could be something like a hematoma, which is a pocket of blood, often accompanied by swelling, that forms beneath the skin as a result of an injury.
- Is the dog's lump located within the skin or beneath the skin? A mass that's located beneath the skin is more likely to be a tumor. Whereas a lump in the dog's skin may be something as benign as a cyst.
- Is there fluid draining from the lump? If so, it's likely the skin bump is a cyst. A dog's cyst can contain pus, blood, fluid and sebum, a white toothpaste-like substance. A skin cyst in a dog is not cancerous. Typically, the cyst will be lanced, drained, cleaned and dead/damaged tissue removed. In the case of a recurring cyst or a very large cyst, it may need to be treated under anesthesia and/or surgically excised (removed) from the skin.
- Is the dog's bump soft or hard like a rock? Cancerous tumors in a dog are more likely to feel hard and rock-like, whereas benign tumors like lipomas (fat cell tumors) will feel softer.
- Where is the dog's tumor located? If a dog's mass is determined to be benign. the non-cancerous tumor may still need to be removed if its presence or growth could harm nearby structures in the dog's body. The location of the tumor may also make the dog prone to developing secondary problems like skin ulcers or difficulty walking, breathing, etc. So even if the dog's tumor is not cancerous, it may still need to be removed.
Diagnosing the Dog's Tumor
If the veterinarian's examination of the dog's mass leads him/her to believe that the lump is a tumor, then the next step is to determine what type of tumor the dog has and whether the mass is cancerous or benign.
One easy and inexpensive method to diagnose a dog's tumor involves performing a fine needle aspiration biopsy of the mass. This procedure is no more painful or invasive than getting an injection, so it can be done right there in the veterinary clinic's exam room.
When a fine needle aspiration biopsy is performed on a dog's tumor, a syringe will be injected into the dog's mass and tumor cells are collected and placed on a microscope slide. The veterinarian will then examine the cells under a microscope; in about 50 percent of cases, the veterinarian can make a definitive diagnosis on what type of tumor is present.
If the fine needle aspiration biopsy is inconclusive, the other method involves surgical removal of the tumor, which is then sent to a lab for biopsy. If the tumor is cancerous, as in the case of a mast cell tumor, then the dog owner will have to meet with the veterinarian to discuss cancer treatment options for the pet. Additional diagnostic tests are also required to determine if the cancer has spread; this information helps the veterinarian to determine what stage cancer the dog is in. The stage of cancer will largely determine what forms of therapy and treatment will be recommended for the dog.
In the case of a benign tumor, removal marks the end of the story in many cases, though a dog who develops a fat cell tumor, for instance, is more apt to develop a fat cell tumor in the future.
Dog owners may also enjoy Pimples and Cysts in Dogs and Other Pets, along with Tumors in Pet Rats.
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