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My senior dog has a paw growth. Is anesthesia safe at her age?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier | Female | spayed | 11 years and 6 months old | 35 lbs

We have an otherwise healthy 11 year old female Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. On top of left hind foot near toe there is a growth for which our vet recommends excision. Cytology reports "no overt malignancy. Neoplasia or cystic lining cell is suspected". The growth is relatively slow and only slightly seems to be noticed by her walking or otherwise. We welcome cautions or suggestions if we do decide to go forward with excision. One concern is for anesthesia given her age. For "Abby", Thank you!

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 28th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Abby and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. That is a nasty looking growth, and yes I would recommend having it removed. You should have a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis done on her before surgery. That will help assess accurately her anesthetic risk, but keep in mind many dogs her age have surgery with no issue. I would also recommend x-rays of her chest in case this growth is malignant. Malignant growths on the paw tend to metastasize to the the lungs. I hope this helps!

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