Dog limping, vet suspects bone cancer, but swelling isn't painful?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 53 lbs
Is bone cancer in a dog cancer always painful touch? My vet believes my dog has it but while he does limp he lets us touch the swelling and seems to want it touched. Could it be something else? We're reluctant to biopsy since it could break the leg and still be inconclusive. Blood work was also normal. But X-ray and cat scan looked similar to cancer.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 25th, 2017
I have had many cases where the dogs/cats limp but don't seem overly painful. I think if you do not want a bone biopsy amputation is the best way to go because even with an invasive fungal disease most of the time you cannot treat the bone properly and you amputated to remove the fungal infection.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 20th, 2017
Fungal infections and bone cancer can look identical on x-rays and physical examination. The only way to tell the difference is to do a biopsy. Some general practice veterinarians are comfortable doing this type of biopsy, and the sample is sent to a lab for histopathology and hopefully diagnosis. Both possible causes of the lesion can be extremely painful and hard to treat. Amputation is often chosen in cases where money is an issue - this could be curative for fungal diseases and cancer when caught very early. Often chest x-rays and/or abdominal ultrasound is recommended prior to surgery to look for signs of spreading of the disease or metastasis.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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