My dog's colon X-ray has a gray area. Is it cancer or a hairball?

Question

Dr showed me x ray of dog and said it was colon cancer. I saw a bright white tube, which I'm guessing was intestinal tract and he was pointing towards the end of that to a gray area. What would a hair or grass ball look like on X-ray. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 8 years and 10 months old | 108 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Without seeing the x-ray it is hard to say. On x-rays all black areas are air, white areas are bone/metal and gray areas are soft tissue structures or non-radiopaque objects. A tumor, hair or grass would all look similar. Dogs almost never have hairballs. A lump of grass would not make it all the way to the colon as it would be digested before it got there. If there is a lump inside the colon or around the outside of the colon then it is most likely cancer however, it could be a hernia, an enlarged lymph node or other soft tissue structure. I cannot tell you without seeing the x-ray. If you do not trust the vet's interpretation then I suggest you get a second opinion from another vet. You can take the x-rays with you for them to review. Also, most vets have a board certified radiologist they can x-rays to for review. You can always ask your vet to do that for you as a second opinion.

My dog's colon X-ray has a gray area. Is it cancer or a hairball?

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