My dog's leg mass smells foul, is it infected before surgery?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. Given the fact that it is growing quickly, a malignant tumor is more likely. 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 her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Possibilities include mast cell tumor, soft tissue sarcoma, plasmacytoma, carcinoma, something of a benign origin, among many others. It should be something similar or the same as the FNA. Ultimately, the biopsy is what actually provides the definitive diagnosis. Feel free to contact us back once the results are available and we can try to guide you going forward the best we can. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it is something benign. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A mass on the skin is never "normal," but it is not uncommon to see skin masses appear as patient's age. It is virtually impossible to be able to distinguish a benign versus a malignant (cancerous) growth based on appearance alone, which is why we typically rely on biopsies or fine needle aspirates for diagnosis. Fine needle aspirates are less invasive and do not require sedation/anesthesia, but only give us a small picture of the mass since we are only able to sample the cells present within the needle used. Removal of a mass with submission for histopathology (biopsy) is always preferred and recommended for masses that change in size or shape. If the mass on Bradley's leg is changing, continually infected, or is irritating/painful for him, it would be best to have the mass removed and submitted for histopathology. Even if the mass is benign, it is serving as a source of irritation/infection for him, and could potentially become malignant in the future.

Hello, Unfortunately, the only remedy for this is to have it surgically removed . Otherwise it will continue to be infected and cause problems. The sooner it gets addressed, the better because the bigger it gets, the more difficult the surgery will be. Once it is removed, your veterinarian can send it off to determine if it was benign or malignant. Try to get an appointment with your veterinarian soon because it is likely already infected if it has a bad odor. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

Very small masses can be tricky to get enough of the needle in the mass without going through it. This area of the body can be tricky to get enough margins due to the lack of tissue before you hit bone, and the movement in the joints makes closure difficult. It could be any number of soft tissue masses, including a wart, mast cell tumor, squamous cell carcinoma, etc. If your vet cannot get enough cells for diagnosis with a fine needle aspirate, simply taking a surgical biopsy without removing the entire mass is an option. When we do bloodwork prior to anesthesia, we are checking the liver and kidney values are normal, no anemia or signs of infection, adequate protein levels, etc. we just want to be aware of any issues inside the body to be able to adjust anesthetic protocols.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. 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 her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

If the needle aspirate showed fatty cells only, I would monitor it for now. Lipomas (fatty tumors) are typically benign, although in rare instances they can become malignant. If the mass gets larger or it starts causing her problems, then I would have the biopsy done and discuss with the vet possibly removing it.