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My old dog's neck growth keeps returning. Is surgery safe with a heart murmur?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 21 lbs

Hello, I'm very concerned about my dog. He is a 16 yr. old labra-doxie and about 4 months ago he developed a growth on his neck. The vet lanced it and was just filled with clear fluid. Have had it lanced 2 x already, the last one being 10 days ago. Now the growth is the same size as it was when I brought his in. They told me the more they lanc it the quicker it grows. From 2 months down to 10 days? He has a heart murmur so I don't believe surgically removing it is an option. help

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 11th, 2018

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Just because he has a heart murmur does not mean he cannot go under anesthesia. There are also other methods such as using a local anesthetic to numb the area and removing it while he is awake if the heart is that much of a concern. Special precautions are taken wi dogs that have a heart murmur and need anesthesia. I have placed many dogs with heart murmurs under anesthesia and have never had any complications. I've even done my fair share of patients in congestive heart failure under anesthesia and they have done well. I would discuss with you vet the other options to remove this besides anesthesia if you are uncomfortable putting him under. You can also discuss freezing the cyst with your vet. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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