My dog's neck growth was removed but grew back. What now?

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. Regardless if benign or malignant, removal should be considered to try to make her more comfortable. How likely it is to come back after removal will depend on what kind of growth this is and how malignant it is. Good luck and have a good night!

I'm very sorry to hear that, it's because the tumor was probably not removed entirely or because it is a malignant tumor that has already spread to other places. you will need to take him back to the vet to get it checked and assessed, your vet might tell you that it should not be operated again if he thinks it will keeps growing back.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and for looking out for Buddy. I'm not sure from your picture if you're talking about the blackish mass at the front of Buddy's chest, or if he has masses under his skin on his sides. Either way the answer is the same. If the masses are coming back in the same place, then he's either very unlikely or there is local recurrence of the mass. Local recurrence and have been with cancerous growths and also with some more benign types of growths. The appropriate treatment depends on the type of mass that it is. I would recommend asking your veterinarian if he had cytology or histopathology done on the mass for testing (because those would give very different information) and exactly what the growth was. Then you can talk to your veterinarian about the significance of regrowth, or repost a question here if you would like. Another possibility is that he's getting new masses, in similar but not identical places, and it's unrelated to his old masses. For this I would recommend cytology (using a needle to poke the mass while Buddy is awake) at your veterinary office and talking to them about whether removal is needed or not.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. That is may be why it came back after removing it. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Rufus evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

I actually saw a very similar case at the office today. Those growths could be benign or malignant, but I would highly encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian soon. I would recommend discussing surgical removal with biopsy to find out what they are. Hopefully surgery will be curative. Best of luck and I hope she heals quickly. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I would consider having this removed and biopsied. My concern is it is already ulcerated and will most likely need either oral or topical medication but if you wait to remove it and it continues to grow it is going to be very difficult to remove. The reason for this is because there is not a lot of skin in that location so they may not be able to close it adequately. I would recommend at the time of removal to biopsy it to determine the true cause of that. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. If things have remained quiet, then it is not necessary to remove the wart. This would only be necessary if he somehow injured it, or it does show evidence of change. The reason we do not recommend removing the benign ones is the underlying cause is a virus, & if you remove one wart, another can pop up later on. Not that removal will cause this, but just because the virus is there. So, if you wish to remove it because of cosmetic reasons, that is absolutely fine, otherwise, if it remains static, you can safely leave it be. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.