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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

What would you do?

4 replies

dilbertina · 23/02/2012 13:47

Our beloved dog is 12 years old. He has had an enlarged spleen for a couple of years...no cause found. He has a small hard lump on the top of one foot, and a number of fatty lumps, including one in armpit of leg with small hard lump on. He has had small lump for a few months, it's not growing, in fact if anything has got a little smaller. He has been prone to fatty lumps for years, had a couple removed and they were just fatty lumps.

Not sounding all that good so far huh?! On the plus side, he is not apparently in any pain, enjoys walks and generally appears to be much younger than his years. The vet did some blood tests when small lump appeared and the results were brilliant according to her, no issues and were like you would expect in a much younger dog. She recommended a wait and see approach, and to treat any symptoms as they arose. She did say they could scan small lump if we wanted - we haven't yet.

So, on the face of it, it seems possible he may have cancer of some sort. But he's showing little in the way of symptoms. Should we be doing more? I would not want anything too invasive/stressful at his age. Is a watch and wait approach the best thing?

OP posts:
ChickensHaveNoLips · 23/02/2012 13:53

Why do you think cancer if he's prone to fatty lumps? Is this new one different?

dilbertina · 23/02/2012 13:59

It's the boney one that's most worrying, the vet seemed pretty pessimistic about it, and said quite likely cancerous, but perked up at blood results, so we're a bit confused now! And the ongoing enlarged spleen is worrying too.

OP posts:
ChickensHaveNoLips · 23/02/2012 14:10

I think the bloods would show cancer, wouldn't they? If it helps at all, my childhood dog developed a fatty mass which encompassed her entire back right leg from foot to hip. It was twice the size of her other leg. We feared the worst, naturally, but it turned out to be nothing much. It couldn't be removed as it was wrapped around all of her tissues, but she lived another 7 years after it first appeared and was eventually PTS due to having a bad stroke :( Nothing to do with her Bam Bam foot, though

Elibean · 23/02/2012 14:16

My old boy had fatty lumps appearing on and off in his last couple of years...I definitely felt watch and wait best for him, as he seemed well in himself.

In the end, he made it to 14 without any problems bar slowing down a bit...then suddenly got very ill, with stomach pains, and had to be pts that same evening Sad

Its such an individual decision, but I didn't think stress or invasion was right for him - and I don't regret it. Good luck deciding Smile

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