'Non-essential' surgery for an older dogs - opinions greatly appreciated.

[EmmalinaC]

Hello.
We have an 11 year old lab x springer. He is in good health for his age.
He has a few lumps an bumps - mostly lipomas, but also a a large (2cm) nodule-type growth on his shoulder.
The vet has taken samples and says she is 99% confident they are benign.
However, the growth on his shoulder has, on occasion, been caught/torn when he scratches so it becomes inflamed, bleed-y. For this reason the vet has suggested he has them removed under general anaesthetic but has also said it is entirely our decision.
I know there are risks involved and am trying to weigh up whether or not to go ahead with surgery...
So I'm wondering... WWYD? Any opinions/shared experiences would be really helpful.
Thanks!

is he Ok with anaesthetics - has he had a GA previously?
my lurch is nearly 12 and I would not choose to have non-essential surgery for him (Vet mentioned his teeth which are a bit tartary but do not interfere with his eating) but he has had GA before when he was younger and greys can react badly to anaesthetics.
difficult one - you know your dog and whether the lumps bother him or could become infected.

He's had two GAs in the last two years - one for his teeth (severe decay) and one for stitches to his ear after being attacked by another dog.

Does risk increase with subsequent GAs? Or is it a positive sign that he's had two recently?

Any other thoughts on this? Am so worried

If he's otherwise fit and well then his risk shouldn't be any greater. Anaesthetic risk doesn't really increase with age - it increases with disease. The issue is that some diseases are more common in older animals.

If his heart sounds well and his pre-op bloods are normal then he should be fine. I'd definitely make sure he has a drip and a full check up before hand but he's come through a couple of anesthetics fine in the last couple of years and thats a good sign

Get the pre-op bloods done, asses the dangers and I would go for it, if all is well. Ask the vet to do the lightest sedation they can. I never worry about lipomas generally and in older dogs just leave them be but if anything is larger, getting larger or getting knocked... well even benign lumps can become malignant. I would be tempted to go for it. As I say, a light sedation. Our oldie (nearly 16) had an essential op today (sad news, which I will post in a bit) and they said he did amazing under sedation.

If he's normal on pre-anaesthetic exam and bloods are fine then go for it and ask them to do his teeth too. Plus clean his ears, nail clip, anal gland check, anything else that can be done under the same GA.

Lime You can't do surgery under a light sedation - its painful
In many cases the drugs used for general anaesthesia are actually safer and put less stress on the cardiovascular system than sedative drugs, so its a bit of a misconception that sedation is safer

So weigh up tyexrisks compared to the benefits. How much are they bothering him compared to the one off trauma of surgery.

If he keeps catching them, you've got repeated injury, pain, infection risk, not healing as he gets older.

Also as he gets older the surgery will become increasingly risky.

On balance, from what you've posted here, I think I'd be tempted to have the surgery now if it's causing problems that will only get worse.

Thank you all for your replies.

He had the surgery yesterday (and his nails clipped - thanks for suggesting that villain) and is now recuperating.

He is mightily pissed off by the whole business and looks a bit like Frankenweenie but seems to be fine. He chased the cat this morning which is a sign that all is well.

Limejelly I hope your old boy is ok.

Thanks again.

Good man Frankenweenie!

:-)

Good news. I bet you are glad you did it now

Berkeley is doing OK thanks, considering. Thanks for asking.