My dog has liver issues and soft stools. Are benign growths serious?

If the masses on the liver / spleen ruptured, I would expect her abdomen to be getting larger and her gums to be getting pale due to the hemorrhage. If she has black tarry stool, my concern is that the cancer is also somewhere in the GI tract. If clinically she is unchanged and doing ok, I would speak with the oncologist and see what the recommendations are in regards to this. The fact that there are cancerous changes evident on the liver and spleen, tells me that this is spreading, which is not good. However, that being said, these could be benign. I just worked on my friends dog who had a liver mass and splenic tumor in his dog. I surgically removed a liver lobe and the spleen and the dog is doing better than ever still and this was done about 6 months ago. There is no way to tell for sure whether or not these are cancerous masses until a biopsy is done or the masses are removed and sent out to the laboratory for testing. As long as Chewy is stable and doing the same, I would recommend speaking with the oncologist and see what their opinion is considering all of these changes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a growth. Most of these growths in the eyelids are benign in nature meaning that they are benign cancers. However, even though they are benign in nature, they can get to the point of bothering the patient. I would recommend to consider removal if this appears to be bothering Simon or if this starts getting larger as it may be more problematic or not possible to remove later on. You can consider taking him to a specialty hospital where his liver enzyme elevation can be worked up before surgery but that is rarely a contraindication to undergo anesthesia so he should be fine. Good luck and have a great day!

I am not an oncologist but I found this article about liver masses in general and it does discuss cystadenomas: https://www.vet.upenn.edu/docs/default-source/ryan/oncology-handouts/liver-tumors-in-veterinary-patients.pdf?sfvrsn=4 You are correct that 'benign' means it will not spread. These tumors can cause a problem sometimes based upon size and location. I agree that a follow up ultrasound is needed. I hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

I'm sorry to hear that Ruthy hasn't been feeling well. It's possible that her vomiting and diarrhea could be associated with her liver disease, but it's equally possible that they're unrelated. Possible unrelated causes could include a gastrointestinal virus, an upset stomach from eating something unusual or new, pancreatitis, parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, among many other conditions. Mucus mixed in with diarrhea indicates that the diarrhea is originating from the colon rather than the small intestine and isn't a huge red flag in and of itself. If Ruthy is eating, drinking and acting completely normally, you can try offering her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice for 5-7 days before mixing this bland diet in with her regular food over another 5-7 days. However, if ANYTHING else is unusual - lethargy, loss of appetite, refusal to drink (or drinking too much), weight loss, or worsening vomiting and diarrhea, then Ruthy will need to be evaluated by her vet. While many cases of mild vomiting and diarrhea resolve with a bland diet and a bit of time, others require diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of the issue and treat the underlying problem. I hope that Ruthy makes a speedy recovery!

Hello, and thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would classify those liver elevations as mild to moderately elevated. Liver values can be quite fluctuant - those elevations are somewhat nonspecific and simply indicate that there is higher liver cell turnover than what would typically be normal. This can be due to anything inflammatory, infectious, cancerous, or otherwise disturbing to the liver. A blood test alone cannot usually say exactly why the liver values are elevated - to have more information, a liver function test such as bile acids could be run, or the liver could be evaluated via ultrasound to make sure it still has normal architectural appearance. If these results are 8 months old, then the best next step would simply be to repeat a liver panel of bloodwork, and see if those values have remained elevated. It's very possible they may have normalized by now; if they haven't, your vet can discuss the best next step with Bear's other history and exam findings. If the values are still elevated but you choose not to pursue further diagnostic testing, there are liver protective medications that your vet may recommend to help protect the liver from oxidative damage. Hope this helps!

This lump/growth should be ideally examined by your veterinarian to have a definitive diagnosis. Your vet will examine it and possibly perform with an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy. Differentials would include skin cyst, infections or benign or malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!