My gorgeous dog's just been diagnosed with mast cell tumour

[AstronomyDomine]

We adopted our lovely staffie from the local dog's trust just over 3 years ago. She's the friendliest, daftest dog ever and, we thought, completely fit and well.
A few months back we noticed a tiny lump on her right shoulder but didn't worry too much about it but then noticed about a fortnight ago that we could see it through her fur... Took her to the vets and this week she was diagnosed with mast cell tumour. We're completely devastated and so worried about her.
Any way, we saw a specialist this morning who was very positive about things and booked her in for an ultrasound and operation next Tuesday.

I suppose I'm just reaching out for stories of similar experiences. Seeing my normally calm, collected husband dissolve into a sobbing wreck completely floored me :(

Hi there, try not too worry too much, easier said than done I know. My last dog had exactly the same on her shoulder, the tiniest little thing which when aspirated came back irrc medium grade so needed removal. I would say the op was fairly radical she was shaved right down her front and the incision was about 3-4 inches, but this is to ensure they get everything. Not trying to worry you but it was a real shock when we collected her! She recovered really quickly. I hope all goes well for your dog.

I'm sorry to hear it, that sounds like a real shock. Hopefully they will be able to remove it all and no further treatment will be required. They'll biopsy it to check they got everything and tell you what stage it was at, and like thewizenedone says, they'll take out more than the visible lump just to be sure they have it all. She'll have to do without walks or jumping for a little while after the operation so that it heals up nicely, and the vet might also give you some painkillers for her for a few days after the op. I hope it all goes well next Tuesday.

Mast cell tumours can be very bad. However, actually in the vast majority of patients they are successfully removed and require no further treatment. We have standard margins that we take at surgery for this and the vast majority are completely removed. In our practice we remove around 1 mast cell tumour a week and in 14 years I have only lost one dog to recurrence.

Thank you so much for your comments, we were advised about the need to remove more than just the lump, scaring, histo-biology testing etc so I think we're prepared for unsightly shaving, scars and such like.
Lizcat, that's definitely made us feel more optimistic about her recovery but I can't help but air on the side of caution and prepare for the worst. Ever the optimist!!

We sadly found our beautiful basset was completely riddled with mast cell, and had a heart problem which made surgery a no, along with losing half her body. We'd had her for quite a few years. She was rescued, and had been awfully, awfully abused. When we got her she was less than half the weight she should have been. She slept on my bed every night I was home, with her own pillow and blanket. We had 2 more wonderful years with her and then she let us know it was time. But she was completely riddled with it, but she still had time with us and was 8 when she drifted off to sleep in our arms.

That's why I'm remaining cautious, we'll only know the real story after the scan and operation.

So the scan came back clear and the vet's just called, he's very happy with how the operation went. Can't wait to pick her up tomorrow tea time

I'm so happy for you! That's wonderful news :)

That's excellent news!!

We've just brought her home. She's doing really well but obviously in some pain. We'll get a call on Friday with histology results and she'll have her stitches out next week. It's so good to have her back.

that's great news! lots of staffie cuddles and she'll be feeling better in no time.

my staffie is still covered in bald patches after having some suspect (but thankfully fine) mole-like things removed. he looks like a patchwork dog!

I know what you mean Ceres she's got a big patch on her shoulder, one on her head, and a big one on her stomach. She's getting better each day but still has to be careful obviously. Didn't get the call today though with test results ... Hopefully we'll have answers on Monday.
Thanks everyone for talking me through this.