Histiocytoma in older dog - anyone?

[spiderlight]

Our nine-year-old cocker started licking one of his hind paws at the end of last week. We couldn't see or feel anything untoward, but then he went lame on that leg on Sunday and I found a small raw-looking red lump between his toes. Took him to the vet this morning and she said that if he were a younger dog she'd be almost 100% sure from the look and feel of it that it was a harmless histiocytoma, but that given his age, it might be a mast cell tumour. He's having a fine needle aspirate on Thursday and we should get the results back on Friday, but of course I'm worrying myself silly now in case it's something nasty. We've only had him six months, from a rescue, and we absolutely adore him. Has anyone got any experience of histiocytoma in an older dog? Positive stories about mast cell tumours also gratefully received!

Not quite an old one, but I also have a cocker spaniel, he's 4 years old. He developed a small lump on one of his hind legs when he was 3 and it turned out to be a mast cell tumour. At the time I was absolutely distraught thinking he might have some horrible cancer at just 3 years old, but ended up being a very low grade one that simply needed to be surgically removed with no more procedures needed. The wound was only small and healed up quickly, no hair loss or anything to the area, you wouldn't have even known he'd had a tumour there.

Cockers are more prone to mast cell tumours than some other breeds, but the good news is that when they do develop them, they're often very low grade like my boy's was. I also have a friend with an old cocker, who is full of fatty lumps and bumps. She was concerned about one lump on his throat that seemed to be growing - turns out it was just an abscess that needed to be treated with antibiotics.

It could be a number of different things, and only the aspirate results will let you know for certain. If it is a mast cell, chances are because of his breed, it won't be an aggressive one and may just need to be removed under sedation. Best of luck, hoping for a good outcome for your boy!

That is SO reassuring - thank you! Glad your lad is OK.

Just dropped him off for his fine needle aspirate :(

Hope you get good results on the FNA @spiderlight

If it helps, my dog is always growing lumps. We've had tumours and hystiocytomas removed from his paw, elbow, armpit and the latest from his eye, to name a few places. Our vet has got clean margins from all luckily. He has well over 20 skin tags which also morph in to different things so we are always keeping check on him. He's an 11 YO staffie. He's a sick note though, literally has so much wrong with him bless him

He's home. Bit zonked, but charmed the socks off the nurse looking after him. Results should be back tomorrow. I'm wondering now, though, whether it's an interdigital cyst, given how fast it came up.

Glad your lad is OK, @Neron. Ed already has a fatty lump on his side, and our old springer had all manner of lumps and warts, but I'm slightly paranoid because we lost her very suddenly to an extremely rare and aggressive cancer five years ago so any lumps and bumps panic me now.

FNA results are back and it's nothing nasty - not a Mast Cell tumour or a histiocytoma. It's just showing as inflammation, so he has a week's worth of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to see if it will settle on its own, as our fab vet doesn't want to operate unless she really has to. She said it probably started with a small foreign body or injury - basically an interdigital cyst type thing. Massively relieved!

Fab news :)