My senior cat has an ear growth. What are surgery risks and recovery?

You are right, there is always some risk with surgery. However, you may want to visit with your veterinarian about the anesthesia monitoring they do. It may surprise you how low the risk is and how much effort is put into safety. As far as the mass goes, I do get concerned anytime a mass is changing. I do recommend surgical removal any time there is a big change to an existing mass. However, there is always the possibility that it could remain quiet and never cause a problem. I would recommend visiting more with your veterinarian and making that decision together. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

That's a good size growth on Mowe's face. No, she may not be too old for surgery. There are plenty of cats who are older who successfully have surgery. She does need to see a vet to discuss having this removed, and the vet can do a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis to assess her anesthetic risk for surgery. Those tests will let you know if it's ok or not to proceed with surgery. Give her vet a call now to make her an appointment. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately, this type of surgery would not be conducive to a local anesthetic only. The ear is very thin....basically 2 thin layers of skin with a layer of cartilage in between and many small blood vessels. Partial removal of the ear can be painful, bloody and is a delicate procedure. I am sure that your veterinarian will adjust the anesthetic protocol to suit her age and additional risks that come with age.

This is a skin growth and is not going to go away without surgery. That being said, I’m not sure I would rush into surgery on an older cat for what is most likely a benign growth that is more of a nuisance than it is a health problem. I would monitor it, keep it clean and if it is really a constant bother to her, discuss the potential of surgery to remove it with your veterinarian.

Yes, I would strongly suspect squamous cell carcinoma in an older white colored cat. The microsporum was likely an incidental finding. If this was my cat I would definitely remove the pinna and send it to a lab for histopathology. If it is SCC, the surgery should be curative. Here is a link to a good article about this problem: ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952685 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I would recommend bringing him back to the veterinarian. The polyp removal may or may not help but it is recommended to have it removed. I would talk to your regular veterinarian to see exact cost of the surgery since every place is different. They would be able to see the polyp on their physical examination and give you a proper quote. As long as on physical examination Duncan looks good and he blood work is good then I would recommend even at his age it is ok to go through the surgery. They typically recover very well and quickly. He may need a few days of medications. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

These are most likely ceruminous cysts, which are essentially cysts filled with ear wax. We see this condition with a disorder known as cystadenomatosis in cats. These can be in the ear canals, on the ear flaps, around the eyes, mouth and occasionally the anus. Unfortunately there is no medical treatment for the underlying disease. If they extend down into the canals, the only treatment is total ear canal removal. However, the individual cysts can be removed with a surgical laser. I recommend taking Mario to the vet, so they can provide and accurate diagnosis and assess the extent of these. I hope that helps.