Is my senior dog with a large, inoperable cancer lump in pain?

Poor Lily! These lumps look quite irritated and ulcerated. She may already be experiencing some degree of pain and discomfort from these lumps, as indicated by her chewing on them. Other signs of pain in dogs include a decreased appetite, lethargy, and abnormal vocalization. When it comes to surgery, age is not a disease, so if Lily's physical exam and pre-operative blood testing is normal, she is likely to do well with surgical removal of these lumps. It may be worth discussing surgical options, as well as pain medication options, with Lily's vet. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

It could be that she is just constipated from the change in food or the lump could be blocking her colon making it difficult to pass stool. Have her rechecked by your vet to determine the cause of her problem. Your vet may be able to prescribe some medications to help her pass stool. She might also need some pain medications to help keep her comfortable. If the lumps can not be surgically removed then they will continue to grow and may cause additional problems. You could also take her to a veterinary oncologist to see if they have any recommendations for treatment. So Sorry that she has cancer.

Please have her checked by your vet as soon as possible. This is not normal and although any lumps are concerning, any that are painful or rapidly growing are very suspicious for underlying issues such as cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment is vital to improve outcomes and reduce undue pain and discomfort.

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. From the picture you uploaded I can say the lump looks like a lipoma, which is usually not painful at all. Lump needs to be tested anyway. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Being an intact, older female increases the risk for Duchess to develop mammary gland tumors. Have her examined by your veterinarian. A fine needle aspirate can be done on the suspect masses to collect samples for pathology. If a malignant mammary gland tumor is diagnosed, discuss treatment options with your veterinarian or veterinary oncologist. You can also simply monitor the masses for rapid change or growth. See your vet if they cause discomfort or impede movement.

Hello, If the mass was aspirated by your veterinarian and found not to contain cancerous cells, I agree surgery is optional but ideally removal of any mass is recommended. However, you described additional symptoms such as abnormal behavior that suggest congnitive dysfunction or possibly a brain tumor. I would advise you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian or a veterinary neurologist prior to removing her mass in the event she has a condition of the brain which could change her overall prognosis.

Without an exam or diagnostics, it is near impossible to say. It could be anything from local inflammation/infection to a benign or malignant mass. Given Ruckess' history, an exam with your veterinarian or veterinary oncologist would be recommended. A fine needle aspirate can be done to collect a sample for pathology.

Unfortunately, cancer is always a possibility in a senior dog like Mufasa. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Mufasa seen by a vet tomorrow to have the lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated.

Without seeing Jackie in person and doing tests on the lump, there is no way I can say if it's cancerous or benign. In an older dog, there is always a chance a lump could be cancerous. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call today to make him an appointment. Best of luck.

A lump near the shoulder could be an enlarged lymph node, an abscess, a cyst, a tumor, etc. I would recommend that you have Roscoe examined by a vet, especially since you have noticed a behavior change. The vet will do a thorough physical exam, and may want to collect a sample of cells from the lump to examine under the microscope. They may also recommend blood work or other diagnostics to see what could be going on.