Dog's masses with 'fingers' keep recurring. Are they cancerous?

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.

If conventional treatment has not prevented Lacy from getting at the mass, then have her seen by your veterinarian. She may need to have it surgically removed. Once that is done, it can be submitted for pathology to make sure it isn't anything to worry about. It could be a benign skin mass (sebaceous adenoma) that is common in older dogs. Removing it does not guarantee it will not regrow or keep others from popping up.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is difficult to say for sure what these tumors are just by looking at photos. However, that being said, the light pink mass I would suspect to be benign / non-cancerous and it looks like what we call a sebaceous adenoma. The dark purple mass looks a little more suspicious for a malignant / cancerous mass. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine both to be on the safe side. The vet can insert a small needle into both masses and look at their cells under the microscope, a test called a Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA). 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. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

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!

I am wondering if a full surgical excision biopsy was done on the lump when it was removed. True lipomas or fatty lumps do not typically grow back. She may develop a new one near the area. There are other types of masses that look very similar to a lipoma but are malignant. A Mast Cell Tumor can look exactly like a fatty tumor but a biopsy report from a pathologist would have been able to distinguish between the two. A Mast Cell tumor can become hard and inflamed. When these masses grow around the rear/tail/anal area or the "perineal " area, they can be quite aggressive and difficult to completely surgically excise. Belle should definitely have the mass addressed as soon as possible and it may be helpful to see a biopsy report from the first surgery.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Twix. Mast cell tumors are one of the most common forms of skin cancer in dogs. If the margins were clean (meaning all of the cancerous cells were removed), then the mass should not recur. However, mast cell tumors are one of the more unpredictable types of cancer. I recommend closely monitoring his incision site at home for any regrowth. It is best to see his veterinarian at least every 6 months for an examination. At this visit a thorough physical examination will be performed to search for other masses or enlarged lymph nodes. Blood work should be monitored as well. Unfortunately, there is nothing that you or your veterinarian can do to prevent further growths from forming. If any new new growth is observed, a fine needle aspirate should be performed as soon as possible to determine the type of mass. If it requires surgical removal, it is always best to have it done while small for the best chance of achieving clean margins. I hope this information helps!

I suspect your veterinarian is correct. When masses get to the point that they begin to ooze or break open, they need to be removed, even if they are not cancerous. Masses can outgrow their blood supply and this can be a reason to see that oozing. Masses can also get infected and this could cause that oozing. I recommend to play it safe and have Brian examined by his veterinarian today to make sure antibiotics are not needed. Make sure to protect the masses from itching, scratching or rubbing. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.