Updates on Cali and Bailey

I have no experience with cancer in dogs, but I always prefer a 'better safe than sorry' approach to health.

I hope everything goes well with both your dogs. Cali is young, so hopefully the treatment will be a complete success. And I hope Bailey's results come back as nothing serious.
 
Ann said:
I would certainly question why your vet didn't immediately suggest aspirating the lump ... in my experience with lumps, that's common practice although Dr. Shelli could probably give you a more precise answer. I would absolutely have the lump aspirated first ... it's an in-office procedure that they can do right on the table while you're there! It may turn out you can wait a bit on Bailey's lump while you deal with Cali's issues.

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I can't tell why they didn't. I always do offer. Its not 100% accuate but way more accuate than a guess.
 
Update

I spoke to the vet today about doing a fine needle aspiration on Bailey's tiny lump. He said that he did mention it to me at our visit. (I don't recall, but there was a lot going on, so maybe I wasn't paying attention.) He said he explained to me that they are not 100% accurate. If the needle grabs a sample that is fat and not where the cancer cells are, then it will come back negative. He said we can do the fine needle aspiration and if it comes back negative then leave it alone unless it grows or I can remove the whole thing now and do a biopsy. It's up to me. I also asked him if he thought it was a fatty tumor (non-cancerous lump) or a cyst and he said it looked more like a cyst. Decisions, decisions, decisions..... It's really small. Not even as big as a pea, but that was how small Cali's was last year too. I did see Bailey licking it this morning. I don't know if that's a coincidence or it is irritating her. I just want to do the right thing. I'm worried about something happening during surgery like a reaction. But, I'm also be worried if we don't do surgery, then it will turn out to be cancer or something else down the line. :(
 
Hi Randi, it sounds like one of those situations where, "do the benefits of surgery outweigh the risk of not having it"?

I know you will make the right decision and your furbabes will be great!
 
Randi, sorry to hear that there's no clear-cut best way to approach this. It's hard to say what the best thing to do would be. I think if it were up to me I would do the aspiration, and if it were clean, I would just keep a really close eye on it. Like check it out every day (measure it?). If it even shows the slightest sign of growing, have it removed. I probably wouldn't want to put the dog in surgery unless I had to.

That's just what I would do--but it's a tough call.
 
Did the vet say whether when they did the fine needle aspiration that it might disappear completely if it is a cyst and they can get all the contents? If it does, the contents can be sent away for biopsy. I can't help but think how much our fur-kids are like us - working for a surgeon, I see things from a surgical point of view.
 
The best advice I can give you is what I always stick to: Trust your instincts. If you have any doubts, and it will worry you, have the lump removed. You've been through this and you know the what-if's, and that's what makes it tough. No one knows your dog like you do, and your judgment about what is best for her is what you should go with. In the long run, it's not worth second guessing yourself.
 
Well said, Ann.

I know that I will probably err on the side of being super cautious going forward, given my own experience with my labrador angel, Ginger. My vet at the time called Ginger's growth a wart; and it was 6 months later when Capers began licking it. This flipped me out. It was then biopsied and found to be melanoma.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with Ann - go with your gut instincts. As she said, having been through this, you do not want to go through it again. Removal of a small lump is a lot easier that much more major surgery and in that case, you would know for sure and not always be second guessing yourself and imagining the what-ifs.
 
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