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Is a biopsy always recommended for a dog's lump before surgery?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pekingese | Male | neutered | 14 years and 5 months old | 8 lbs

Hello, I have a 14 year old Pekingese named Pig. He developed a large lump on his throat and we took him to a veterinarian. The vet decided to cut into it and try to have it removed. Okay, but no biopsy was performed before hand to know exactly what we were dealing with. Turns out it was aggressive cancer that she was not able to remove fully. The cancer came right back and now my dog is on his Deathbed. We should have done a biopsy first right? Please help me to know. Thank you very much

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 22nd, 2019

I'm very sorry about Pig. Look, I cannot question what your vet has done because I haven't seen him in person and therefore cannot make a valid assessment of the situation. Hypothetically, maybe a biopsy would have been best first, and usually that would be my first step, but I can't say if that's the right choice in his case. I am truly sorry.

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