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My dog has a leg growth. Should I get a second opinion for cancer?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Welsh Corgi | Female | spayed | 13 years and 1 month old | 20 lbs

I brought Sophie, aka Toby, into the Vet about a bulbous growth on the back of her lower leg and he was somewhat obtuse and left us with, "keep an eye on it to see if it gets bigger." He also said he didn't want to remove it until she needed to be anesthetized for something else. He did mention cancer but did not elaborate. Should I seek a 2nd opinion and have it biopsied?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 29th, 2019

Hello, sorry to hear about Sophia. It looks like it could be a hemangioma (benign), however given her age and the appearance of the tumor, there is also a chance it could be more aggressive such as hemangiosarcoma (malignant). It would likely need to be removed and sent for biopsy to confirm/rule-out the presence of cancer.

If you feel like your primary care veterinarian did not answer all of your questions, then you may indeed seek a second opinion. The appearance of this mass does warrant further diagnostics of it, especially if this mass has developed suddenly. These masses as they continue to grow, may occasionally bleed intermittently or have discharge.

Hope this helps and best of luck.
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