Many pet parents bring their pets to their veterinarian to have a mass (or tumor used synonymously) checked. They say it has been there for several months to years but did not bring them in sooner because it did not seem to bother their pet. Contrary to this common misconception, cancerous growth does not necessarily bother the pet. Cancerous growths can have no symptoms but can spread.
When a pet parent discovers a mass, many choose “keep an eye on it” because it is not bothering their pet. How long will they wait until they do something about it? Do they wait until it doubles in size, triples in size, starts to bother their pet? How large should a mass become before they have it diagnosed? A mass cannot be diagnosed by just looking or feeling it. Even a veterinary oncologist (cancer specialist) cannot give a diagnosis without diagnostic testing.
If we allow a mass to grow too large, the surgery can become complicated and the veterinary surgeon may not be able to get clean surgical margins. Dirty margins mean that because the mass is too large, there is not enough skin to make the incision large enough to remove all cancer, thus leaving cancer cells behind. If this happens, cancer can recur requiring additional costly therapies such as radiation and or chemotherapy. In the most unfortunate cases, the mass is too large to be removed because there is simply not enough room to close the skin.
If you discover a mass on your dog or cat and it does not go away within a month, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may recommend a fine needle aspirate of the mass for cytology (the study of cells). Many tumors can be diagnosed with this non-invasive cost-effective quick test. If a cytologic diagnosis cannot be made, then your veterinarian may recommend surgical removal and histopathology (commonly known as a biopsy) for definitive diagnosis.
Our goal is to make the first surgery the only surgery. This means we want to surgically remove a small mass so we can get clean margins to get a surgical cure. Even if the mass is a cancerous mass, getting clean margins will give a better prognosis and a chance for cure. Importantly, small mass removal surgeries are much less costly than a large tumor surgery so early removal is better for you and your pet.
Pet parents and veterinarians must be proactive to detect cancer early. Early detection of a mass can lead to a surgical cure. So, if you see a mass, call your veterinarian for a check-up right away. If you don’t have a veterinarian, call Vetsavers Pet Hospital at 972-939-0900 for a Free First Exam.
