Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My dog has a mass, vet won't vaccinate. Should I cancel my trip?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | 9 years and 10 months old | 99 lbs

Hello. Please could you explain what you are seeing here? Yogi seems normal like there is no mass in him and now the vet won't vaccinate him as it lowers his immune system. We have a holiday booked in June and I am so afraid something could suddenly go downhill for him and we won't be here. Many thanks

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 16th, 2018

I'm sorry Yogi has a mass! From the images you provided, it looks like he has a mass in his mediastinum that has spread into his pectoral muscles, fluid in his right lung, and nodules in the right lung. I would be suspicious that the nodles in his right lung are cancer that has spread from the medilstinal mass. Dogs can have tumors and still appear normal, and then suddenly appear sick. Without seeing him in person I can't say for certain, but these images do not suggest good news for him. I certainly understand your concern about going on holiday and him going downhill while you aren't there. Speak with your vet to get their opinion on how long he may have left. You can decide to not go on your holiday to spend time with him, or you can go on the holiday, but leave him with a trusted friend and plan to head back home right away if things look poorly for him. It's a very hard decision to make, and I'm so sorry you are in this position. First speak with his vet to get a better idea of what he is facing so that you can make a more informed decision. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. Yogi has this mass on his chest with nodules in his lung lobes and liver. He is however acting completely normal, going on walks, eating and in no apparent discomfort. He subsequently isn't currently on any medications. Is this normal? And sho
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Yogi. I am sorry to hear of his recent diagnosis. It is wonderful that he is still feeling well. I do not suspect this will be the case for long, as the mass and fluid will ultimately interfere with his ability to breathe. If treatment is not possible, it will continue to grow. I would suspect this to happen within 1-3 months. You can consider pain medication if his attitude or appetite changes. His veterinarian can prescribe something for him. In the meantime, enjoy all of your time with him.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I would appreciate an opinion as our vet is getting very frustrating. CT scan shows a mass in our elderly dog who presented with anaemia. Any ideas? We have been waiting weeks for answers now. Is it worth putting him through anymore procedures that s
HI, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Yogi! I am sorry you are going through this. It is hard to jump in to a case like this with only a CT image. It might be better for you to sign up for a consult with one of out Vets to have a one on one text conversation. My impression of the CT is that there is a mass in Yogi's chest, in the mediastinum. There is abnormal fluid accumulation likely from the mass and there are also suspicious nodules with in his lung tissue. Which I think is safe to assume is metastatic. If Yogi was my dog and he had a chest tumor with suspected metastatic disease I wouldn't pursue further diagnosistics or surgery as his prognosis is very poor. To put him through a painful surgery when it has spread seems unfair for him. If the "biopsy" was really an aspirate they tend to sometimes be non-diagnostic as most tumor cells do not exfoliate well in to a needle. A true tissue sample would be needed. I am not sure knowing which type of cancer he has will change how
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. Yogi was out through many procedures in March/April. The tissue biospsys were not conclusive but likely cancer was the outcome and that he would go downhill quickly and to bring him back for pain medication when he did. It is November now and
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I would agree that the mediastinal mass is very evident and I would also be very suspicious that it is in fact cancer even if the biopsy did not show that. Sometimes dogs appear to be comfortable even when they are in pain. These new lumps you describe could be somewhat related to this or may be unrelated. I think it would be ideal to have Yogi reevaluated to see if the mass has progressed and if the nodules in the lungs (which likely represent spread of the tumor) have also progressed. I would maintain him on pain control medications even if he does not appear to be obviously in pain. Good luck and have a great day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We have had X rays and a CT scan and likely that he has cancer. We have decided to leave him untreated now as he is happy, comfortable, eating and enjoying his walks still. Being prodded by vets was making him very distressed. With our decisions plea
Poor Yogi! This is such a tough situation. His timeline turly depends on how comfortable he continues to be and how quickly this mass grows and spreads. I would expect that he may only live for a few months since it looks like there are some nodules in the lungs and the mass currently looks pretty big already. The key is to make sure he stays on pain meds as he needs them and don't be afraid to give him the high end of his dose of meds if needed. The key is to keep him comfortable until he has a poor quality of life and at that time, you may choose humane euthanasia. I hope this helps and my thoughts are with you.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi. What is the difference between an abscess and a tumour in the chest behaviours wise for a dog. Would one be painful or causing discomfort. I am reluctant to put yogi through anymore procedures as he suffers for days after being put under and is v
I am sorry to hear about Yogi. With your description of nodules in the lungs and liver, I would be much more suspicious of cancer unfortunately than an abscess. A dog with an abscess may have a fever, but cancer can also cause a fever. The lesions could both cause difficulty breathing or discomfort. You can ask your vet to send any imaging they have done to a radiologist for a review and they may be able to give an opinion based on the images of the potential causes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Yogi is covered in lumps (all biopsies and scans inconclusive). Some growing/hard. Recent sores on his skin where it's red and dry flakey skin comes away when I brush him. He is also growing lots of whaT looks like warts or skin tags. He is limping o
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! The fact that these biopsies have come back inconclusive does not mean that this is not cancer. Unfortunately, this is very likely an aggressive form of cancer. After seeing these images, my main concern is that this is possibly a tumor arising from one of the ribs or sternebrae such as osteosarcoma for instance. In one of the images I see that there is likely pulmonary nodules which are most likely due to metastasis or spread of this cancer. It is hard for me to advice further without being able to look at more images or know more about the case. I would encourage you to check in again with them as another biopsy could be performed. Also, if there is truly already signs of metastasis, the treatment options and prognosis are also limited. I would mention to them the possibility of being referred to a veterinary oncologist who can look at the case with more details and advice further. I really hope they can help you and your boy!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Should I put my dog down? My dog is barely eating; dog is a toy poodle found on the streets (has many nipples may have been on breeding farm) it is questionable if she was ever spayed her first vet thought yes but second vet said scar is too small. S
This depends very much on her current quality of life. If the symptoms from the mass are causing her pain and discomfort then yes, euthanasia is a very valid and compassionate option. If she is coping with it and otherwise well, I would wait for the blood results as there may be a treatable or manageable medical condition which could improve her quality of life. Her comfort should be the primary deciding factor, if you feel she is no longer enjoying life or able to join in with her usual routine and resolution of the cause is not achievable (for any reason) then allowing her to go peacefully is never a wrong option.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
13.5 year old dachshund and Portuguese Water Dog mix has a large tumor under his tail and above his rear leg. The vet removed tumors from same site (looked like raw chicken parts) 4 years ago. Vet is hesitant to remove these given his age, general
Gumbo definitely is at increased anesthetic risk (risk of adverse events during anesthesia and risk of poor recovery) at age 14 (7-8 years of age is considered geriatric), even with normal blood work (normal liver/kidney values). In addition those are extremely large masses and surgical removal could definitely affect anal tone (result in incontinence) assuming that anesthesia and recovery do go well. There is also a possibility that the type of cancer Gumbo has is metastatic and has already spread to the lungs for which the prognosis is poor (chest rads would be recommended prior to proceeding with surgery). I would recommend bringing Gumbo to have the anal glands checked regularly to make sure that they are empty. I also recommend keeping Gumbo as comfortable as possible as consulting with your veterinarian about treatment and humane endpoints if the masses become ulcerated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Merlin has 2 lumps: 1. On the base of his throat/chest; 2. Left side near groin. He had one removed 9 years ago. Biopsy showed not cancer, but not benign. We are currently in Costa Rica, does he need to be seen right away or can we wait until we retu
Given Merlin's age, cancer is always a possibility, and it would be best if he is seen right away by a vet. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have him taken to a vet first thing in the morning to have these lumps diagnosed so the vet can decide a treatment course for him.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My miniature schnauzer/ brusselngriffin mix is 11 yrs old. Recently she had a small marble sized lump on her abdomen. After she was groomed i have now counted roughly 17 hard nodules all over her body. 2 very large ones on her trunk. Her temp axilla
i am afraid these could be benign or malignant tumors. Since Nealy is an older dog, this is not uncommon. Lipomas (fatty tumors, usually benign, they can actually be hard) or mast cell tumors come to mind when looking at your photos. It could also be a very extreme allergic reaction to possibly a shampoo at the groomers. 1) do not panic 2) make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam. He will likely want to take a so-called FNA (Fine Needle Biopsy) where he takes a small amount of tissue through an injection needle, puts this on a glass plate and looks at it under the microscope. This will give your vet an idea what he is dealing with. He may also send this material to a lab to be examined. Once you and dyour veterinarian know what type of mass you are dealing with , you can discuss treatment plans.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Supplies Dog Health & Wellness At-Home Dog Vaccines Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Dog Thyroid Medication & Hormone Care Dog Vitamins & Supplements Dog Outdoor & Travel Gear Dog Asthma Medication Dog Anxiety Medication Antifungal Medication for Dogs DOG by Dr Lisa Prednisone Dog Health & Wellness Vet Worthy Doxycycline Dog Asthma Medication Ulticare At-Home Dog Vaccines Prednisone Dog First Aid & Recovery Embark Vet My Human Vetoryl Dog Thyroid Medication & Hormone Care Embark Vet Dog Health & Wellness Cyclosporine Dog Asthma Medication
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored