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My dog has a lump on his ribcage. Does placement matter? Cost of FNA?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Poodle | Male | unneutered | 6 years and 9 months old

Dr. Melanie responded to my question about what could the lump on my dog be, which was very helpful and i had a followup question regarding the lump, it is by by his right ribcage, not by his nipples therefore i was wondering if the placement of the lump makes a difference and also i would like to know About how much does the "fine needle aspirate" exam cost? Thank You in advance!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 1st, 2017

Yes the location can make the difference but generally speaking this kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). The fine needle aspiration can cost anything between 50 and 80 pounds (sorry but I work in the UK!! with the analysis included).
Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors.
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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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