My dog has a painful, open abdominal lump. Could it be cancer?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on January 19th, 2017

  I would be concerned in a senior dog like Jazzy, this bumpy dark spot could be a sign of a malignant tumor. I would have her seen by a vet in the morning to have this examined. If the vet is concerned it's a lump, they can do 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. Once a diagnosis is made, the vet can discuss treatment with you.

  

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  Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

  Veterinarian

  Published on March 21st, 2018

  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. 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.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful