My senior dog has a large tumor. Is surgery safe for an older dog?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If it is possible, I would recommend having the x-rays done without sedation and depending on how the x-rays look and how her blood work looks, consider removal of the mass under anesthesia. She is not too old for anesthesia but the risk of anesthetic complications rises with age. As long as her heart, lungs and blood work are normal, she should be fine under anesthesia. 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.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Your veterinarian may be referring to a thyroid tumor. The next step before considering surgery would be proceeding with a CT scan to check on how invasive the tumor appears to be. Then the next treatment option can be determined. A FNA can be performed at the time to determine the tumor type. If not too invasive surgery may be possible. If too invasive, and this is a thyroid carcinoma (the most common tumor in that region), radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be next best options. The prognosis with these tumors depends on the type which is why that needs to be tested. Also, it depends on how invasive it is and if it can be resected. If you think you have more information on the case that you did not describe in the question, feel free to request a consultation with me and I can continue to help. Best of luck and have a blessed day!

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!

Hello, thank you for your question about Tecka. There are many different types of tumors that can occur on dog's faces, diagnostic tests such as a small needle sample or biopsy can be performed to help identify exactly what kind of mass this is. Depending on what the underlying mass different treatment options are available such as surgery or radiation therapy. Surgery of the face/cheek area can be challenging because there is minimal skin/muscle present in this area, often making healing more challenging. Additionally, depending on characterization of the mass a veterinarian might recommend a CT scan of Tecka's head to see if the mass extends into the muscles or bones of the face. If you are interested in getting more information about potentially having this mass removed I would recommend consulting with a boarded veterinary surgeon. They have advanced training and additional experience in surgery of delicate areas such as the face. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Abby and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. That is a nasty looking growth, and yes I would recommend having it removed. You should have a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis done on her before surgery. That will help assess accurately her anesthetic risk, but keep in mind many dogs her age have surgery with no issue. I would also recommend x-rays of her chest in case this growth is malignant. Malignant growths on the paw tend to metastasize to the the lungs. I hope this helps!

If your vet recommends removing the growth, it's likely a good idea. In a senior dog like Cookie, there is always a chance it could be cancer, which is why it's ideal to remove it to prevent it from spreading. If the growth is cut out with wide margins and the cancer hasn't already spread, it is possible that it can be cured completely without further treatment. The vet will do everything they can to remove the tumor fully, and I would imagine they would let you know if there was a concern that it couldn't be removed completely or if she wouldn't heal properly. I do advocate for removing growths in a senior dog especially if there is a concern it's cancer, but I highly recommend speaking to your vet about your concerns. Having an in-depth conversation with them may help allay your worries. I hope this helps!