Skin Growth - Please help!

[Gigi myworld]

Hello,

My Gigi (who's almost 8 years old) had developed a kind of skin growth on her tummy a while ago. When we showed it to the vet, he said it was nothing but a growth and as long as it doesn't change it should not be a cause for worry. We have been applying neosporin on it daily, but it hasn't gone and neither has it changed in size or texture (its been nearly a year now).

Yesterday, we noticed a similar growth on her neck, its like a small pimple but it looks the same as the one on her tummy. So this got us really worried and when we went to the vet he said, again, that it's just a growth, but if we're too anxious he could remove it.

We plan to remove it next week, after we do a blood test. I'm just a little worried about this, as she has never undergone surgery before, except for the time she was spayed.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any suggestions on what I should do?

I have already informed the vet that he mustn't use ACE as a sedative...but right now I'm just dreading next week. I don't know if I am making the right decision.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

Thank you!

 

[Cami]

How big are the growths?
Has a needle aspiration been done on either of them yet?
If they are small enough why not have a punch biopsy done to remove them requiring a mild sedative verses complete sedation? You will still send the tissue removed to a pathologist who will generate a report on the samples allowing you to know without a doubt what you are dealing with and most include their expert opinion on what might be required next.
Are they sitting on the skin or growing up from under the skin?
Do they bother her (itch)?
Cancerous growths *can* sit on the body for days, weeks, months and even YEARS and not do "anything" as far as change in appearance however they can still be cancerous.
I don't like that your vet didn't investigate them further!
It is nearly impossible to tell what something is with the naked eye.
There are other steps that can be taken to deal with these growths before heading directly to surgery. The first would be making every attempt to find out what they are before messing with them. Just my opinion of course but I have a lot of experience with my own girls skin cancer.
Depending on what they are you then have other options aside from removal (if you would choose another route).
I sooooo wish I knew THEN what I know now about one type of skin cancer, (mast cell tumors) before I put my girl through multiple surgeries.
Hopefully neither of the growths are anything however knowing and dealing (or not having to deal with them) is half the battle!

 

[raidernixon]

I think it is the right choice to have them removed. As said earlier, the growths can sit for long periods of time before becoming problematic (if at all). Might be better to be safe than sorry...I'm sure this surgery would be less intense than if the growth became problematic and it had to be dealt with then. Hope the best works out for yall!

 

[Gigi myworld]

The 1st growth is like an enlarged nipple...the size of a dime I suppose, and the new one is quite tiny...like a boil...None of them irritate her...and they are both on the skin and not under (does that make a difference?)

We haven't done any needle aspiration biopsy as yet, but you're right..we should get a NAB done before actually going in for surgery.

I am not too sure if the vets around here are too well-versed with breed-related problems, u know...when I mentioned Mast Cell Tumor he looked at me as though I was suffering from psychosis.

Thank you for replying! Please, please have Gigi in your thoughts when you pray...

I will post again once I get the biopsy done..

 

[caruse]

I would definitely insist on a biopsy or get a second opinion...at least for your own peace of mind....good luck
Barbara lovicon

 

[Gruntsmom]

Keeping you and Gigi in my thoughts and prayers, and sending positive healing vibes to her. I hope the growths are nothing serious. Please keep us posted.

 

[Cami]

The majority of mast cell tumors cause some sort of itching at some point and time however the tumors themselves are not always itchy. If that makes sense?
They can trigger allergy-type symptoms or seem to make a dog that already has allergies worse.
My girl had a tumor on her tummy that was directly in line with her nipples. It looked EXACTLY like she had grew an additional one. The only thing that made it stick out for me was that it didn't have a match!
Growths that are on the skin are *sometimes* more easily removed and have less of a chance of invading things like muscles which are under the skin down deep. This doesn't mean that a cancerous tumor doesn't grow downward but that if you are dealing with something on top of the skin verses underneath it can be easier removed.
Boxers can get any number of growths (as can other dogs) and a great majority are not cancerous.
If you do choose to have them aspirated make sure to ask your vet about having some Benadryl (or similar) on board (in her system) prior to having them done.

 

[Gigi myworld]

sorry, this is a bit long...

We got back Gigi's blood test reports and they are fine..which is a great sigh of relief...

The vet we regularly go to fixed an appointment for Tuesday to remove the 2 growths, as he said sometimes needle aspirated biopsies do not get a 100% result, as it may not pick up all the bad cells (is that true?) He said that after the removal, we would send them both for a biopsy.

We went to another vet for a second opinion today as well. She is known to be quite good in the city. As she looked at the growth, she said that it is not a tumor, but a "large soft tissue lesion"

When we asked her whether we should remove it, in case it may be a tumor she replied that as long as the growth is not irritating her it is fine. She suggested that we watch both for about two months, and decide on the removal after that, depending on the changes.

She also mentioned something that seemed so strange to me. She said, tumors as long as they are on the body and not growing, should not be touched, lest they get aggravated! Is that true? When a human has a tumor, the first thing someone would do would be get it tested for malignancy, and then removal if it is not benign..! So she prescribed an anti-inflammatory application, a homeopathic medicine: thuja, as well as 2 tab daily to increase Gigi's immunity (the generic drug name is Tinocordin)

So, we're really confused since we have doctors opinions on two extremes...One that says total removal and the other suggests we wait for two months before doing anything...

Please help...should we go to some other vet?

 

[Cami]

Well you have already given the first known growth a year. I don't know what giving it two more months is going to do??
Your first vet was correct in that needle biopsies are not 100% accurate. The only proof positive way to know what a growth is would be to have it removed (or a portion of it) and sent to a pathologist.
Great news about the blood work however if you were looking for a determination if these lumps might be cancerous a blood test won't specifically show that. My girls blood work has always come back looking normal when she has had known mast cell tumors sitting on her.

The diagnosis of a "large soft tissue lesion" doesn't sit well with me. If you Google that exact phrase you will find numerous references to TUMORS (various types). I'm not saying that this vet is wrong however it seems like a quite "generic" term to me. I'm pretty hardened on this subject due to dealing with so many cancerous growths on my own girl. I think I have heard so many different terms for CANCER that it isn't funny. When I have heard things like that in the past and have followed up with "But could it be cancer?" I always get a YES. If I don't ask that specific question I don't get any further explanations from the vets. Just saying.....

I guess it comes down to this:
You can have them removed now and see what they are sooner rather than later. Stop the worry which isn't healthy. OR you could wait for two months. If they don't change would your decision to have them be removed be the same? Another two months of worry.
On the flip side perhaps something might change in those same two months. The 2nd newer growth might self-resolve. The original growth could as well however since it has already been there a year that is less likely.
At minimum the original growth would still need to be addressed.
*Some* mast cell tumors just "sit" on the body doing seemingly nothing. Manipulating them in various ways can make them get "angry". This doesn't mean they should be left alone. Think about what a cancerous growth is capable of doing inside the body that we can't see.
Hard decision to make I know. Go with your gut. Your first instinct is usually right.

 

[joeys mom]

Sending lots of healing and postive vibes!