Very worried about my dog

A question about : Very worried about my dog

Hi all,

My 11 year old collie cross had two large lumps removed on Monday. Long story short, he had one on his hip/thigh and one on his chest. One year ago, the one on his chest showed as a lipoma on a needle biopsy so we weren't worried. The one on his hip was discovered about 3 months ago and the vet said it was a worry because of how it presented and the location. She did a needle biopsy when it was discovered and sent it to the lab and it came back as a spindle cell tumour, which is cancerous but apparently it rarely spreads.

During the surgery, the vet also removed a much smaller lump close to the one on his chest. I'm not too worried about that right now though. Samples from the two larger lumps were sent off for biopsy and the vet admitted that she didn't think the one on his chest is a lipoma now... she said it looks the same as the one on his hip when she took them both out and compared them.

The biopsy results are due back this Friday and I'm terrified. I'll phone tomorrow on the off-chance they are back early. Has anyone been through a similar experience?

Best answers:

• No I haven't but wishing doggie all the best xxx
• Not quite the same, but we had an anxious wait when we were waiting for a biopsy result on a lump on our dog's leg. We'd had a huge panic the previous year over a mass which turned out to be a lipoma, and TBH were a bit blas! when we found the second lump.
  To cut a very long (And expensive!) story short, it turned out to be a histiocytoma, which is a benign lump which they treated with a course of tablets. The lump went down and eventually disappeared.
  While I waited for the biopsy results, my vet was really good at reassuring me that many types of canine tumours are treatable these days, and insurance would have covered treatment. I'd found it helpful to do some reading about possible treatments, other owners' experiences, and the medical language my vet was using so that I could understand him a bit better.
  Whatever happens for you, I wish you and your dog the very best. It's horrible to have this hanging over you like a black cloud, and I really hope it's a positive outcome for you.
• I've had mast cell tumours with boxers before which is always scary, but very common for the breed. Not a pleasant time while you are waiting, but you just have to have faith that all you can do is get on them early and get them identified. If the vet can get at them quickly and remove with clean margins, then it can be a non issue.
  Just try and keep in mind that this is a natural occurrence, and you are giving the dog the very best any of us can hope for.
  Hope it all goes well. Fingers crossed.
• I've had to wait for biopsy results before but it was for my cat and, if I'm completely honest, I don't really like him all that much. He was fine as I hope your pup will be.
  Any news yet?
• Thanks all for your replies. After having had next to no sleep for the best part of ten days through worry I'd managed to forget all about posting this thread until now - I'm sorry about that!
  We got the biopsy results last night and the report states that both lumps were benign lipomas. Part of me can't believe it because a needle biopsy was done two months ago and it came back as having contained spindle cells, which are cancerous. The vet told me to believe the full biopsy as they had the full lumps rather than just a sample on a needle. I DO believe it, but it's hard having spent two months coming to terms with the fact that my dog has cancer and now being told that he he doesn't and never did. Last Monday when he had his surgery, they told me to prepare myself for the likelihood he would need radiotherapy which is extremely expensive.
  In fact, to make it worse, exactly 12 months ago to the week, the same surgery told me my dog (same dog) was going blind AND had very aggressive tumours in both eyes, and that I would have to make the decision whether to have both eyes removed or have him put to sleep. They referred us to an eye specialist in Frodsham (who were very patient and exceptionally thorough, so much so they admitted him for the afternoon to have several specialists look at him to be sure). We were called to collect him a few terrifying hours later and were told he didn't have tumours in his eyes and wasn't going blind - he has various and pretty minor problems with his eyes but they are all age-related.
  Both these 'cancer scares' have cost WELL over Ј1000 (he isn't insured now due to the ridiculous quotes I was receiving from the age of 8 onwards) to find out there's not really anything wrong with him. I'm just really disappointed in the vets but at the same time, trying to be elated that both lumps were harmless afterall. I want to be celebrating but I feel too let down (and dare I say it, part of me feels like the vet have put me through all of this to get money out of me, but I keep telling myself it can't be true). The problem is, I can't take him to a different vet because the one nearest me is the only 24 hour vet in the city and I can't afford to fall out with them because they will be my first port of call in an emergency. I have four pets (only one dog) and I just don't know when I will need them. I did take him to a different vet but it was the other side of the city (I don't have a car at the moment) and the care received there was so dreadful that I never went back.
• Really happy that the results came back positive (well negative but you know what I mean). The money side stings, but it's just part of owning a dog I guess. To be honest, Ј1000 isn't that uncommon, but still stings.
  Sounds like you have an issue with your vet though. My recommendation is to have an honest conversation with them. I doubt they are deliberately running up costs, but I always introduce the fact that mine aren't insured at any consultation. A lot of vets have questionable bedside manner, but are very competent. Some are just bad.
  And don't panic about the aspiration results. Sometimes false positive responses are given as the cells produced to fight a growth can appear similar to cancerous cells.
  Good news on the dogs health at least.
• Thank you! It was supposed to say Ј2000 actually - a typo I missed!
• Bah, even then, it's not too rediculous. Just try to take control of the relationship with the vet. I think sometimes they can become a little detached from the impact on the client. Always worth doing a bit of research in advance if you can to go in prepared and be a bit more demanding.
• So glad you've had good news anyway xxx