Lumps and Bumps |
| Q: Our ten year old schnauzer has several small lumps on different parts of his body. Are these anything to worry about or do they just come with age? A: Lumps and bumps are very common in older pets. It is always a good idea to have your veterinarian check out these areas of concern to make sure there is nothing to worry about. It is very simple to do a fine-needle-aspirate, where we remove cells from within the mass and examine them under a microscope. This procedure can differentiate between simple benign cysts or fatty tumors from dangerous malignancies which may look the same from the skin surface. Treatment for suspicious masses or benign tumors that have become infected is simply removal under anesthesia. Since many of our older pets also have dental disease, it is very easy to remove any questionable masses while already under anesthesia for a teeth cleaning. If a malignancy is suspected, the harvested tissue can be sent to a lab to definitively determine the cell type and prognosis for recovery. If the mass truly is malignant, the sooner it is removed, the less chance it will have of spreading to other parts of the animal's body. In certain breeds that are more prone to malignancies such as golden retrievers and boxers, it becomes even more urgent to test these lumps and bumps. Good luck and good pet parenting. |
