Montreal Dog Blog Montreal's Online Dog Park
Related Articles
Q: I have a problem with my dog that I’m hoping you can give me some insight to. My dog, Panda, is 7 years old and is actually quite healthy. She’s eating, playing and doing everything normally. The problem is she has a rather large lump on her side at the end of her rib cage. It feels kinda like a bubble and is soft. It’s about 2-3 inches around and seems to be oval shaped. She doesn’t wince or cry when I touch it (even hard). I have no clue what it is and it’s really freaking me out. I’m terrified it’s cancer or something horrible. Should I bring her to the vet? Will she have to be cut up?? I can bar ely even stand the thought of it.
I really appreciate your help. I’m in full on panic mode about my baby.
Thank you very much,
Lyndsay Goodfellow
A: It is impossible to tell from your description if you need to be concerned about the lump on Panda. Your vet should be able to perform a fine needle aspirate that might give some insight into whether this lump is something that needs to be removed or not. A fine needle aspirate involves aspirating some cells from the lump and then analyzing them under a micrsocope. It is a quick and easy way that we often are able to detemine what a lump is and whether or not we need to remove it. At 7 years old and otherwise in good health, even if the lump has to be removed, it would be a relatively fast, easy, and non-invasive surgery posing minimal anesthetic risk. So, my advice to you is to make an appointment with your vet to have Panda’s lump checked.
