Senior dog tumor, high ALP, lethargy, joint pain. Is it cancer?

Question

We have a 9yr old spayed female 78lb mix, she dors have a lemon suze tumor the vet 18 months ago thought was just a fatty tumor. But did blood work and everything normal limits except her Alaline Phosphatase level was 1316. So our vet thin inks ng cancer what would you think? She for about 3 weeks has been more lethargic and acts like her joints hurt. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 8 years and 11 months old | 78 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

I suggest your vet take a fine needle aspirate (FNA) biopsy of the tumor to find out what kind of a tumor this is. He would be taking a little bit of tissue from the tumor painlessly with a fine needle which helps determine what kind of a tumor this is. As for the elevated Alkaline Phosphatase level: this could be a sign of liver disease/gall bladder disease or bone cancer in your dog. However, if your dog had bone cancer, it would likely have some bone pain somewhere. 51% of dogs over 8 years have a high ALP. Because there are so many causes of a high ALP, many of which are benign (harmless) processes, determining the cause of an individual dog's high ALP is difficult. Your vet may want to refer you to a veterinary internal specialist. Joint pain can also be caused by arthritis, and the lethargy could be caused by pain or disease

Senior dog tumor, high ALP, lethargy, joint pain. Is it cancer?

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