Why Wait? Aspirate.
Masses must be sampled and evaluated under a microscope to determine what they are. The sooner we determine whether a mass is cancerous and should be removed, the better for your pet. Most skin and subcutaneous (under the skin) tumors can be cured when diagnosed early when masses are small.
I am Dr Sue Cancer Vet and I am on a mission to raise cancer awareness in dogs and cats, so we can diagnose earlier and save lives.
See Something, Do Something: Why wait? Aspirate!
See Something
When a skin mass is the size of pea or larger or has been present for 1 month,
Do Something
Aspirate or biopsy, and treat.
No, not even the most experienced veterinarian can look at or feel a mass and know if it is cancer or not. Your veterinarian must perform an aspirate or biopsy to make an accurate diagnosis.
Early detection saves lives.
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🐶Small dogs get osteosarcoma too!
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Yesterday I introduced you to Lucy, a 110 lb Great Dane, a new Tripawds- who is the classic bone cancer patient. Large and giant breed dogs typically middle aged and older (7-9 years of age)
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But small dogs like Poppy can get it too. (He weighs 18 lbs)
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Poppy did great with his amputation and handled his first carboplatin chemotherapy great. He was here for his 2nd treatment today and we are all rooting for him.
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Here are some osteosarcoma stats:
✔️The risk of osteosarcoma (OSA) is 60 times higher in dogs weighing 70 lbs.
✔️Leg OSA accounts for 95% of all cases in dogs >90 lbs, but only 40-80% of all cases less than about 30 lbs.
✔️The most common sites are the ends of the bones towards the knee and away from the elbow and by the hock (ankle)
✔️Some studies suggest small dogs may do better than large dogs, so we are all hoping that will be true for Poppy and he will #kickcancersbutt🔸Higher grade MCT are more likely to metastasize, and additional testing called staging can help determine if the cancer has spread.
🔸While the prognosis is generally poorer for dogs with metastasis and chemotherapy is recommended, these dogs are still treatable!
🔸I repeat, MCT is a treatable disease, and chemotherapy is well-tolerated in the majority of dogs.
🔸Treated dogs typically live longer, and live well #livelongerlivewell
👉be sure to check out my new vlog on testing and treatment here: youtu.be/IFuqwtSTR7M😮Amputation?!!
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👩⚕️ For veterinarians, it is a somewhat easy recommendation for a dog with bone cancer because we know the dogs are in pain from their tumor and we know how well the dogs will adapt and do great after
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😱 But I know for pet owners, it is often shocking to have the make the decision to removes their pet’s leg. And they are so worried how their pet will adapt as a, what we call, tripod, Aka Tripawds
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📋 It’s good to know that studies show:
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9️⃣1️⃣% No change in the dog’s attitude⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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8️⃣8️⃣% Complete or near complete return to pre-amputation quality of life
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7️⃣8️⃣% of owners thought recovery and adaptation was better than expected
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7️⃣3️⃣% Had no change in recreational activity
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8️⃣6️⃣% would do amputation again
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💜 This is Lucy. She was just amputated a few weeks ago and I met her last week. Her dad reported that she did great after surgery and he is super happy how she is doing as a tripawd.
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💉We’ve started her chemotherapy to prevent spread of the osteosarcoma, most commonly to the lungs .
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🐶 It’s always important to remember that each patient is an individual, and statistics can’t predict the individual.
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📊While we are all hoping that she will crush the statistics and live longer than the average dog, I’m very happy that she is in the majority for how well dogs do with amputation. I know it’s not an easy decision for families, but I also know how well the dogs do.
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😍 Dogs are truly amazing! #kickcancersbutt #tripawds