My 9-year-old Boxer has a mast cell tumor. Does he need surgery?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see that Jake has a very large, round, well demarcated growth on his side. While it is impossible to tell exactly what type of tumor it is and give a prognosis following removal, it is likely that removing the tumor will make him more comfortable. Depending on the approach, the surgical site may be rather large and require some care and pain management at home. As long as Jake is otherwise healthy, surgery and anesthesia are relatively safe as well. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you have!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concerns. I am sorry to hear that Tara is not doing well. With her history of mast cell tumors, I am concerned that some, if not all, of the tumors you are seeing are mast cell tumors. If the veterinarian is advising euthanasia, it may be the most humane decision to make if she is suffering. If she is no longer eating, is getting sick and if the mass in the throat is causing complications I would take the veterinarian's recommendation into consideration. If she is still eating / drinking and seems to have a good quality of life, then I would maybe consider having the lumps removed and having her blood tested to see if there are any other abnormalities. I would also have chest x-rays taken to see if there is any spread of cancer into the lungs. 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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! My dog gets these. He has had them on his legs and they would bleed occasionally especially during a bath. They tend to be benign growths. I don;t like your description of the one on the face that increases and decreases in size though. That sounds like the behavior of a mast cell, which boxers tend to get. If it looks like the one in the picture it could increase and decrease in size based on the blood inside the mass. The only way to fix them is to remove them, which is what I did for my dog. Sadly they will develop more over time. I would take Kate to your Vet and have them examine the areas and discuss removal. I wish you and Kate the best!

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A needle aspirate is the standard way to get an initial "suspected" diagnosis on a lump, but there are limitations to what a needle sample can tell us. If the cells in the needle sample appear worrisome, then the next diagnostic step is to send in a biopsy (surgical "chunk") of the tumor, or to remove the tumor itself and send the whole thing in to the lab for analysis. So, was removal of the ear necessary? I can't say, I don't know enough about the location or size of the mass. I didn't see the slide from the initial needle aspirate. But if the needle aspirate looked worrisome, and the next step is to remove the tumor or cut a piece of the tumor off, then removing that piece of the ear may have been the only way to find out for sure what the tumor was, and whether surgical removal was curative. Rather than regretting in hindsight that the surgery was done because the histopathology report came back as a histiocytoma, I would be focusing on the good news that Tate doesn't have a malignant mast cell tumor. And removal and lab analysis of the tumor was the only way you could have gotten that news. Hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That is certainly possible and recommended. Age is not necessarily a contraindication to surgery if they are being careful with the anesthesia. Keep in mind that most dogs that develop mammary tumors are older and have surgery and do fine. Best of luck!

I'm very sorry to hear about Bean's diagnosis! Yes, if you are interested in possibly pursuing treatment for this problem, I would recommend requesting referral to a veterinary oncologist for a more complete evaluation of your pup. There are many treatment options available for mast cell tumors in dogs, even in situations where the tumor may not be operable. The oncologist can discuss all of your options and give you a better idea of what to expect with whatever option you choose.

It's a bit of a tough call, but I can see 2 potential options. You could have your vet take the tumor with conservative margins - i.e. leave enough to keep the penis covered - then biopsy that in order to get the grade of the tumor, so that you know what you're dealing with. After that, you might elect chemotherapy, or as you say simply monitor the site, since many are low grade. Your other option would be to consider a course of Palladia, which is a chemotherapeutic drug that is often used in mast cell tumors. It can significantly shrink them, so that they are easier to remove with margins.