My senior dog has a growing neck lump. Is surgery the right choice?

At the age of 13 surgery in this location may actually not prolong your dog's life, but actually cause him more suffering, as, in order to remove this fairly large tumor, parts of the tongue and neck tissue may need to be removed. This will take a while to heal, be painful and will interfere with eating. I think you can trust your vet with the assessment. If you would like a second opinion, consult with a veterinary oncologist. I am sure your vet can refer you to one and will not mind.

It sounds as if your vet is concerned that your dog has a malignant tumor, most likely squamous cell carcinoma. If there is suspicion about the malignancy of a tumor the best course of action is to have it removed. I can understand your concerns about Dahlia undergoing surgery but it would be safer and easier to remove it now, while it is smaller, then it would be if it was left to continue to grow. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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!

I'm sorry that Foofie has a tumor! Given that she is very active and if she is otherwise healthy, I see no reason why the tumor can't be removed. The growth of this tumor is affecting her teeth, and it could affect them to the point she has difficulty eating. Not eating would lead her to be very weak and sick, and you want to avoid that. You can have the first vet doing a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis to see how her organs are functioning overall, which would give an idea of how she would fair under anesthesia for the tumor removal. Personally if it were my dog, I would have it removed, but that's me. I would have another conversation with the first vet. Good luck, I hope this helps!

It could be that Lady has a cyst causing this lump. In a senior dog, it could also be a malignant tumor or a benign tumor. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain. If your vet sent her to a surgeon, then I would suspect that your vet believes it needs to be removed. I'm sorry you felt this surgeon was only worried about money, so I'd suggest speaking to your vet about a referral to another surgeon to get this lump diagnosed and possibly removed. It sounds like it's quite large if it's grapefruit size, and if it continues to grow, it could affect her ability to walk. In addition, if it is malignant, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Poor girl. Because this mass is open and seems to be bothering her I would highly consider having this mass removed surgically. Sometimes if the mass is small (less than 2 cm's) we can do a sedative on the pet and quickly remove these. However if it is a larger mass then general anesthesia may be required. She also needs to be placed on oral antibiotics to keep this area from getting infected and daily cleaning of the mass as well. Sterile saline flushes can help keep this area relatively clean and then an e-collar placed on her can help prevent licking. If surgery isn't an option for you, then medical management with antibiotics, e-collar and regular cleanings may allow proper healing of the area, but in most cases surgical removal is the best option. Best of luck!

A lump that large that shows up quickly is concerning to me. It could be related to infection, a hematoma, or cancerous so I'd recommend getting Rosie examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Your veterinarian can take a small needle sample of the lump to decide if it's something that requires treatment or surgical removal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I'm hoping for the best possible outcome for Rosie!