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Sammy is an 8 yr old golden from a fairly good breeder. But Cancer is know to be in the lines - as most American goldens. He has had two lumps removed from his body when he was put under to remove two papaloma virus in his mouth (small). Both were non cancer. Now I found two more lumps. One you can really pull away with the skin, the other is deeper but vet says you can still separate it. My vet does not like to asperate (sp). He prefers to take lump and biopsy if suspicious. He feels you can get a false negative when only getting a small portion of lump. Should I have the lumps removed - his blood work and exams all look great. Althogh a holistic vet thought his gums were quite pale. He also is thought to have mascatory myositis. Biopsies at 1.5 years old were inconclusive and his jaw is fine other than he can only open enough to hold a tennis ball and his head is very boney. I really don't feel my vet is out for the $$. He is not a pushy guy. I pursue the extensive blood work just because Sammy acts older then my 11 year old. Should I have the lumps removed putting him through the surgery?
Thanks so much for your opinion!
Karen
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Dr. Marie replied:
Hi Karen and thanks for your question. This may be a tough one to answer without being able to examine Sammy. But, I'll give you some of my thoughts.
While I will often do a fine needle aspirate on a lump, there are some lumps where I would prefer to do a biopsy. If I think a lump is extremely likely to be a lipoma (fat lump) then I will usually do a fine needle aspirate from several areas rather than biopsying. However, if I am suspicious of something more sinister such as a spindle cell tumor or a mast cell tumor I may be more likely to biopsy or even remove the entire lump. Really this decision on whether to do an aspirate or biopsy can only be made after examining the lump. So, if your vet doesn't feel comfortable with just an aspirate then the biopsy is a good idea.
I wouldn't worry about one vet thinking his gums were pale. This can sometimes mean that there is anemia (low red cells) but the bloodwork would have shown us this.
It sounds like you are in good hands. If Sammy's blood work is normal then I would have no concerns about an anesthetic. If this is what your vet is advising then it sounds like a good idea to go ahead.
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Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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