My dog has an abdominal mass. Is it serious? How can I afford surgery?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on July 20th, 2017

  There is no way to answer this question. It is completely dependent on what organ it's attached to and even if we did know that we still couldn't guess as to benign or malignant without a histopathology.
  
  An abdominal ultrasound can be done to help determine what the mass is attached to and if there is obvious metastasis. I would recommend this be done by a specialist.
  
  If you wanted to skip the ultrasound, I would agree with doing an abdominal exploratory. It is your best opportunity to find out what the tumor is attached to and to get a biopsy (or completely remove it if possible).
  
  I don't think steroids is a good idea without knowing what the tumor is or what it is attached to. Steroids are not curative and they have a lot of side effects. Not only that but many types of cancer do not respond to steroid therapy.
  
  I hope this helps. Sorry that Franklin is having this issue. Best wishes.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Sarah Box, BVSc

  Veterinarian

  Published on June 9th, 2017

  I am so sorry to hear about Brandie's recent diagnosis. I can only imagine how distressing this must be for you.
  There are a number of options for how you can choose to proceed. Finding out a bit more about the mass would be a good place to start. Whilst X-rays can show us the presence of a mass, it is often very difficult to determine which organ is affected and what time of cancer it is. An abdominal ultrasound would help to determine not only which organ(s) is affected, but also allow a better evaluation of how big the mass is, and sometimes samples can be obtained that a pathologist can study and diagnose what type of cancer. Abdominal surgery can also be warranted, either after an ultrasound or immediately. Visualization of the abdominal organs allows the mass to be located, sometimes removed, and certainly permits samples to be taken. A large abdominal mass is usually associated with the liver or spleen, and could be any number of types of cancer. A common type is hemangiosarcoma.
  All the above options do have the potential to be costly (price will vary between region/state and also veterinary clinic). If finances are limited then you can certainly speak with your veterinarian about assessing quality of life for Brandie and how to keep her comfortable. You may need to make a decision to put her to sleep as the disease progresses.
  I encourage you to chat further with your veterinarian, have them talk to you about the options available to you in your local area. Ask questions about additional diagnostics such as ultrasound and cytology/histopayhology, even about the option of chemotherapy if the mass is identified as something responsive to this type of treatment.
  Good luck, and I hope you and Brandie are able to find the answers you are looking for to keep her healthy!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful