My dog's mast tumor opened. Are there alternatives to amputation?

I understand wanting alternative therapy but with a mast cell tumor I do recommend surgery as that can often cure dogs with a localized mast cell tumor. My dog had several and they never returned after surgery. As far as light therapy it is not recommended. The light can speeed up the cell metabolism and in theory cause the cancer cells to divide and spread faster. I use cold laser light therapy in my practice and it is contraindicated to use it around any areas that may be cancerous. Yes, continue with the supplements. If they did a needle aspirate they may be able to grade the tumor to see how aggressive it is. Some mast cell tumors are slow growing and may not need surgical removal. If it’s an aggressive tumor then please consider surgical removal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Samm.

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.

I’m sorry to hear about Tsunami’s diagnosis. MCTs are quite common in dogs, and unfortunately due to the cell distribution around the primary tumor, incomplete margins are common. If you want to be confident you’re pursuing the best options for the best prognosis, I recommend asking your vet for an oncologist referral. A veterinary oncologist will be the best specialist to be able to present all the options and their given pros & cons, and they have access to chemo medications that most primary vets don’t carry. If you choose not to pursue referral, then I recommend reaching out to your vet again to discuss the next step. If this were my case, I would probably recommend sampling Tsunami’s lymph nodes with a needle to look for evidence of regional metastasis, and based on those findings discuss if a second surgery is appropriate. Hope this helps!

It depends how deep the tumors go, if they are superficial the surgery will definitely not affect his walking ability. not removing these tumors is pretty much a death sentence to your dog so i don't see any alternative to the surgery anyway.

Unfortunately, this is a difficult situation because most tumors that are cancerous and rupture are not going to heal on their own. A double mastectomy will be a very large and could be difficult recovery time for an 11 year old dog. Also, please know that even with surgery, you may not get another 3 years out of her simply because she is already at the top end of her life span. Also, there is always the risk that the cancer has already spread. Another option you may want to talk to your vet about is whether they can just do a palliative "debulking" of the mass that has ruptured. If there is a way to just resect the one tumor that has ruptured, this potentially could give her a good quality of life without doing a full double mastectomy. With the tumor being ruptured, I am afraid you are being forced to either do a debulking surgery, full mastectomy, or euthanasia. Leaving it alone isn't a good option because it won't likely heal on its own and if it isn't already, it will become infected.

A) The likelihood of reoccurrence is higher if the margins are dirty. While it may be categorized as a low grade, it would be helpful to know the mitotic index which is a quantitative measure of mitotic figures observed in the cancer cells. If the mitotic index is high, reoccurrence is more likely. B) If no further treatment is pursued, it may or may not return. C) Prior to any further surgery or treatment you need to have Barney evaluated by a veterinary oncologist to discuss the best treatment options for him.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear that Fudge has a mast cell tumor. There are a few options that I typically recommend for a natural means of treating mast cell tumors. The first is called Oral Neoplasene. This is a liquid type medication that is derived from the bloodroot plant that is used to treat cancer in dogs. The dosging for this product is based on body weight and is usually given prior to feeding two times per day. The second natural remedy I recommend is called Max's Formula. This is a blend of herbs that treats tumors in dogs, cats and horses. It is a blend of eight different herbs that have been carefully chosen to treat tumors. There is a bulk powder you can buy and also capsules. The third product is called Stasis Breaker. Like Max's formula, this also is used to treat tumors in dogs, cats and horses. This is meant to go after the root cause of the tumor. As with any alternative medicine, there is a chance that these products will not work at all. However, if deemed safe, which all 3 of these are safe to use, there is no harm in giving any of these to Fudge. You can order these 3 products online quite easily. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.