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My dog has a rectal lump. Could it be cancer? What tests or options?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 6 years and 2 months old

HELLO! MY VET EXAMINATION OF BOBINA'S RECTUM, A SMALL PIMPLE SIZE POLP WAS FELT. VET SAID THIS CAN GO TO CANCER. WATCH FOR IT GETTING LARGER. IS THEIR A BLOOD TEST FOR CANCER FOR MY DOG OR A FECAL SAMPLE. SHE HAS N O BLOOD IN HER FECES. HOW LONG SHE I WAIT FOR HER TO BE EXAMINED AGAIN. COULD THIS BE A HEMMOROID? BEST. JUDY

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Sabina Snyder, Specialty Surgery Technician

Veterinary Technician

Published on September 24th, 2019

Hello Judy. Thanks for reaching out. Lumps and bumps can always be scary and you are right to be concerned and vigilant about keeping an eye on them! There are blood tests that your vet can do that can indicate the presence of cancer, but not a definitive one for that specific lump. Your vet could do a couple of other tests however that may be helpful. They could take a sample of the mass and look at it under a microscope to see what kind of cells are present. Usually this is called a Fine Needle Aspirate and can be done in the clinic. If they see cells they don't like, they can take a larger sample called a biopsy and send that off to a lab for further analysis. For the most part, with cases like this, a lot of vets do like to wait and watch to see if the mass grows, Growth can be another sign that we aren't looking at something benign (though not always the case). Some owners, however, don't always like the "wait and see" approach, which is completely understandable! If you are very concerned, the ultimate option would be to just have it completely removed now, while it is small and send it off for pathology. Your vet would go in surgically, remove the lump and as much tissue from around the lump as possible to get good margins. The lab would then test the cells from the mass and from the margins. If the mass is cancerous, they would want the margins to be "clean" - meaning they show no signs of cancerous cells. All of these are great options to discuss with your vet. Good luck and feel free to consult with me privately if you have any follow up questions or concerns!

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    Answered By Mara Howard, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm so sorry to hear Bobina had a mass felt on her exam. Rectal masses can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). If you want further information, it would be worthwhile to speak to your regular veterinarian to discuss a biopsy to determine what the mass is, and whether or not it is something you need to be concerned about. Unfortunately, there isn't a blood test for cancer; a biopsy of the abnormal tissue is the best testing. Good luck!

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