My dog has an eyelid mass. Vet fears surgery due to liver. What now?

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'm very sorry this is happening to Roxi! It sounds like this tumor has gotten quite large, and is likely very irritating to her eye. In my opinion, surgery can be done on old dogs as long as blood work is done first that shows their organs are in good enough health to handle the anesthesia. Any surgery is a risk, and the anesthetic risk should be evaluated before making the decision to go or not. Given that the tumor is so large that you cannot see her eye anymore, her quality of life is affected, and it would be worth seeing if the tumor can be removed. If your vet does not want to do it, I would recommend seeking a second opinion from another vet.

Fortunately, the majority of eyelid masses on dogs are benign Meibomian gland adenomas. As long as the mass does not start growing significantly, bleeding, or causing Murphy to scratch, continue monitoring progression of these masses with photos to show to your vet in August. If anything changes significantly or seems to bother Murphy, he should go in for an exam sooner. Since he has fear-based aggression (very common!) and will need to have his eyes thoroughly examined, consider calling his vet to ask if he should have a sedative at home prior to his exam both to decrease stress and allow for a more thorough exam. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

I have no idea about her prognosis as it all depends on the exact type of tumour she has in the eyelid. Some tumours spread quickly whilst others linger in one area. It might be worth getting your vet to stage the cancer. You can habe a biopsy sent to the lab to get an exact diagnosis for rhe tumour then have Lymph nodes, the lungs and organs checked for metastases. If there is nothing in the other organs i would go ahead.

I understand your concern! I think surgery is ususally your best option at having the eye growths removed if they are a problem. I would recommend a IV catheter to make sure Mitch is getting proper supportive care during surgery. Typically elevated liver values like the ALP could be due to older age. I would recommend doing what you are comfortable with and talking through all your concerns with the vet doing the surgery. I hope that helps

Hello. Without the bloodwork, I can not address her overall condition to say whether surgery is appropriate or not. I would highly recommend that x-rays of her lungs be done to see if there is any evidence that the mass on her liver has metastasized to her lungs. If this has happened, then I would not put her through surgery. An ultrasound of her abdomen would also be very useful in looking at the liver, gall bladder & kidneys, & would give much more information about what is going on. In the meantime, I would start her on insulin to try & regulate the elevated blood sugar. Talk to your vet to see what the next best steps for Layla are. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

At the age of 13 surgery in this location may actually not prolong your dog's life, but actually cause him more suffering, as, in order to remove this fairly large tumor, parts of the tongue and neck tissue may need to be removed. This will take a while to heal, be painful and will interfere with eating. I think you can trust your vet with the assessment. If you would like a second opinion, consult with a veterinary oncologist. I am sure your vet can refer you to one and will not mind.