My aggressive dog has an oral growth. How to get surgery & meds?

That is a tough decision to make. I think that in order to answer your question fully you should consider speaking to a veterinary oncologist. Based on the progression of the tumor currently and the kind of tumor it is. I have seen some cases where doing major surgery has resulted in longevity of the pet; however, getting informed about your specific pets tumor will help you make this decision whether to just do palliative pain management for Brandy moving forward. I do hope that you can make an informed decision with Brandy soon. Best of luck and take care.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to see well in this picture but this could be a benign or malignant growth. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. There is no at home therapy for growths. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. There is a chance that this is benign and does not need any therapy. Good luck and have a good day!

I'm sorry to hear about Stephanie's problem. To know for sure what the type of growth is and what to expect from it, a pathologist should look at a sample of the tissue from a surgical biopsy. Without this info, we are just guessing by its appearance, rate of growth and our experience. I am very concerned by the appearance of this mass and the rapid growth after it was initially removed. It is suggestive of a malignant mouth cancer. These are typically very aggressive and very difficult to treat. Your best bet is to ask your veterinarian to refer you to a veterinary oncologist. This is a specialized doctor that can give you the best treatment options. My guess is that they could combine radical surgical resection of the growth and the portion of the jaw that it is growing from. This may be preceded by or followed by radiation treatment. They can go over the prognosis and what exactly to expect, but your regular veterinarian is probably limited to the surgery that was already done. It can be repeated, but the outcome will be the same....rapid tumor re growth. Ask your veterinarian if there is a good specialist that you can see to find out all of your options and decide if treatment is feasible.

Poor guy. Unfortunately the lump there is likely a skin mass. The hole is also present likely because this mass is causing changes in the skin nearby, which has ulcerated and may also be infected. The Betadine will help keep the infection down, but the hole likely won't close without further care from your vet, which includes oral antibiotics and possible removal of this mass. Your vet can prescribe a medication to help calm Spike for his visit, so its best to get into contact with them so that Spike can be seen hopefully without too much trouble. I do hope that your pet Spike is able to get this resolved soon. Best of luck and take care.

Hi! Sounds like Max really needs to see someone. What we usually do at our clinic is this: as long as a pet comes in with a well fitted muzzle, we can usually help. Max will need to be sedated, to be treated. So, call ahead to your vet clinic, and let them know that Max needs help. They are under no obligation to treat him if he is truly dangerous. But, if he is able to wear a muzzle, that should be a big help to the staff.

Hello. Are these warts? These are the most common non-cancerous growths we see, & they are especially common on poodles. If surgery concerns you, please talk to your vet about freezing the growths off using a special liquid nitrogen product available to vets called Verruca Freeze. It is not super cheap, but it does not require any anesthesia to use. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.