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My dog has a growth, vet wants removal & teeth. Should I get a second opinion?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog has a growth that literally just "appeared" 3 days ago. Our vet wants to remove it without doing a needle aspiration. Is this normal? He said he wanted to remove teeth also "while he's in there." Peanut is not complaining and does not seem in pain. I'll do anything for him IF it is necessary. $2000 is alot right now for me though

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 25th, 2018

Hello. That is a lot of money to do a dentistry & remove a small tumor, but prices are extremely variable in different parts of the country. I assume that your dog is an older one, otherwise, we do not recommend removing teeth just for the fun of it. If there is quite a bit of peridontal disease, then dentistry can actually extend a pets life. The small tumor looks pretty irritated, also your dog has been licking it quite a bit. I have no problem removing it now rather than waiting or doing an aspirate mainly because if it grows much bigger, regardless of whether it is malignant or benign, your veterinarian will have trouble finding enough skin to close the site. The best thing to do is to get a second opinion & see if there is agreement as to how to proceed. If so, consider having both procedures done. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Peanut. I do typically perform a fine needle aspirate of a mass prior to recommending surgical removal. However, if the mass is in a hard location (ie. The lower leg where there isn't much room for removal), I may consider just removing it as the margins will depend on the available skin, not the type of mass it is. But is is nice to know what the mass is in advance. As far as the dental extractions, dogs hide signs of pain well. Most will eat and drink normally even with severe periodontal disease. Foul smelling breathing indicates an infection in the mouth. Any tooth with visible root exposure will be painful to Peanut. I understand having a budget though. Some clients will tell me what they can afford beforehand and I will only extract the amount teeth within that budget. I hope this information helps!

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