Conflicting vet advice on pet ear surgery: MRI, X-ray, survival?

I think a biopsy is worth doing, it's relatively very brief and non invasive, it will give you an answer regarding the type of tumor, this way you can know for sure if there is any hope. from the sound of it though, it's probably a malignant tumor and there is probably nothing that can be done to stop it or treat it, at some point you will need to stop the tests and accept it.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A needle aspirate is the standard way to get an initial "suspected" diagnosis on a lump, but there are limitations to what a needle sample can tell us. If the cells in the needle sample appear worrisome, then the next diagnostic step is to send in a biopsy (surgical "chunk") of the tumor, or to remove the tumor itself and send the whole thing in to the lab for analysis. So, was removal of the ear necessary? I can't say, I don't know enough about the location or size of the mass. I didn't see the slide from the initial needle aspirate. But if the needle aspirate looked worrisome, and the next step is to remove the tumor or cut a piece of the tumor off, then removing that piece of the ear may have been the only way to find out for sure what the tumor was, and whether surgical removal was curative. Rather than regretting in hindsight that the surgery was done because the histopathology report came back as a histiocytoma, I would be focusing on the good news that Tate doesn't have a malignant mast cell tumor. And removal and lab analysis of the tumor was the only way you could have gotten that news. Hope this helps!

Hello. If you can manage the cost of an MRI, I would strongly encourage this. Depending on if anything is found, specific recommendations can be made. It really all depends on what might be there, the skill of the veterinarian caring for Peanut, & of course, your financial situation. But not knowing generally means that nothing is done to help her, or the wrong treatment is tried, wasting valuable time. If you can do this for Peanut, I recommend having the MRI done. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Harvey is beautiful! I am sorry to hear about his polyps but it is wonderful you are trying to get him help. Some polyps are simply removed without needing a CT scan, however if he is a complicated case it may be beneficial to be thorough. And be prepared that sometimes, no matter what you do, they recur. If he is a 'repeat offender' and has had a complicated history with polyps, it may be a good idea to have advanced imaging done, like the CT that was suggested. You could also consider asking your vet for a referral to a specialist- depending on who is nearby there may be an internist or a dermatologist who sees many cases like this and can help tailor therapy. I hope this is helpful and that Harvey feels better soon!

I’m sorry to hear about Tsunami’s diagnosis. MCTs are quite common in dogs, and unfortunately due to the cell distribution around the primary tumor, incomplete margins are common. If you want to be confident you’re pursuing the best options for the best prognosis, I recommend asking your vet for an oncologist referral. A veterinary oncologist will be the best specialist to be able to present all the options and their given pros & cons, and they have access to chemo medications that most primary vets don’t carry. If you choose not to pursue referral, then I recommend reaching out to your vet again to discuss the next step. If this were my case, I would probably recommend sampling Tsunami’s lymph nodes with a needle to look for evidence of regional metastasis, and based on those findings discuss if a second surgery is appropriate. Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Spike! I am assuming since you have had extensive diagnostics done that you and Spike are in the care of a specialist. If there is an infection in his sinuses then it could be resistant or be fungal. Fungal infections do not respond to antibiotics and the Vet would want a diagnosis before starting anti-fungals. My concern is for a tumor due to Spike's age. I can't view your image as it is very very small and out of focus. I would ask what other imaging like an MRI can be done to confirm if there is a tumor or not. Also I would just do the scope with the hope that they will see the tumor and are able to get a good culture and biopsy. If they can't then consider surgery. I wish you and Spike the best!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Bronte has such a bad ear infection. If her ear is as inflamed as the vet says it is, then an ear canal ablation sounds like it would be the most appropriate next step. I am surprised to hear that it is $5000. That seems quite high for this type of surgery. I would call around and ask for prices on a total ear canal ablation and see what you can come up with. I generally end up charging about $1600-2000 at our clinic. If the ear is not bad enough to the point where the ear canal is calcified, a lateral ear resection may be appropriate and should be a cheaper surgery than completely removing the ear canal. As far as medications are concerned, I would probably use pain medications, antibiotics, anti inflammatories and antifungal drugs along with topical therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.