How do you know if fed lump your feeling on your pet is a benign cyst or fatty tumor or something more serious and possibly even fatal? Can you trust your veterinarian to give you an accurate answer? Maybe, but maybe not.
I have a big concern over the approach some doctors take when examining a pet that may have a cancerous tumor. Many doctors take a "wait and see" approach when an owner points out a suspicious lump on the pet. The diagnosis is often made by the doctor simply looking and feeling the lump. "Fatty tumor" or "cyst" is a term often applied to these lesions. While it is true that most suspicious lumps are benign (non-cancerous) fatty tumors or cysts, some are actually malignant cancers. With rare exceptions (such as the commonly observed warts, technically called papillomas, so often seen in older dogs,) NO ONE can diagnosis a tumor simply by looking at it and feeling it. I have removed too many malignant cancers that were originally diagnosed as "fatty tumors" or "cysts" to know that diagnostic testing (usually a simple fine needle aspirate of the tumor examined under the microscope) is needed before we can simply assign the labels "fatty tumor" or "cyst" to any lumps.
Consider the following example taken from my own practice. Not too long ago I saw what I was convinced was a simple infected cyst on the abdomen of Shadow, a 5-year-old spayed female black Labrador retriever. Based upon its appearance I was not too concerned about this lesion. However, when it didn't get better after 2 weeks of topical antibiotic therapy, I suggested removal and biopsy. Imagine my surprise when what I thought was an infected piece of skin came back as a malignant mast cell tumor (a cancer notorious for looking like benign cysts and fatty tumors!) Thankfully I had removed the entire tumor with that surgery and no further treatment was needed for Shawdow. Since this case (and other cases,) I have become convinced that mast cell tumors can look like almost anything. Therefore, unless the lesion is an obvious "old age wart" I recommend testing and/or removal of all lesions. The lesson is simple: any lumps seen or felt under the skin or above the skin surface should be aspirated or in some way biopsied before feeling comfortable with a diagnosis of a benign "fatty tumor" or "cyst."
It is quite troubling that so many pets I see have not received a proper diagnosis. A good number of these pets have not ever had ANY diagnostic tests done. Yet often a simple aspirate of the lesion, radiograph (X-ray) of the abdomen when a suspicious mass is felt during examination, or blood testing of a pet with unexplained clinical signs such as lethargy and a lack of appetite will reveal the cause of the pet's problem. There is simply no excuse for failing to obtain a proper diagnosis. The bottom line is this: before we misdiagnose the true cause of a pet's lumps and bumps, at the very least we need to get a proper diagnosis and make sure that our treatment choice is correct.
To learn more about using natural therapies to help treat and prevent cancer in your pet, check out my new book The Natural Vet´s Guide to Preventing and Treating Cancer in Dogs (it´s also a great book for cat owners too!) And don´t forget to check my website, www.petcarenaturally.com for more information on using natural therapies to keep your pet healthy.
I have a big concern over the approach some doctors take when examining a pet that may have a cancerous tumor. Many doctors take a "wait and see" approach when an owner points out a suspicious lump on the pet. The diagnosis is often made by the doctor simply looking and feeling the lump. "Fatty tumor" or "cyst" is a term often applied to these lesions. While it is true that most suspicious lumps are benign (non-cancerous) fatty tumors or cysts, some are actually malignant cancers. With rare exceptions (such as the commonly observed warts, technically called papillomas, so often seen in older dogs,) NO ONE can diagnosis a tumor simply by looking at it and feeling it. I have removed too many malignant cancers that were originally diagnosed as "fatty tumors" or "cysts" to know that diagnostic testing (usually a simple fine needle aspirate of the tumor examined under the microscope) is needed before we can simply assign the labels "fatty tumor" or "cyst" to any lumps.
Consider the following example taken from my own practice. Not too long ago I saw what I was convinced was a simple infected cyst on the abdomen of Shadow, a 5-year-old spayed female black Labrador retriever. Based upon its appearance I was not too concerned about this lesion. However, when it didn't get better after 2 weeks of topical antibiotic therapy, I suggested removal and biopsy. Imagine my surprise when what I thought was an infected piece of skin came back as a malignant mast cell tumor (a cancer notorious for looking like benign cysts and fatty tumors!) Thankfully I had removed the entire tumor with that surgery and no further treatment was needed for Shawdow. Since this case (and other cases,) I have become convinced that mast cell tumors can look like almost anything. Therefore, unless the lesion is an obvious "old age wart" I recommend testing and/or removal of all lesions. The lesson is simple: any lumps seen or felt under the skin or above the skin surface should be aspirated or in some way biopsied before feeling comfortable with a diagnosis of a benign "fatty tumor" or "cyst."
It is quite troubling that so many pets I see have not received a proper diagnosis. A good number of these pets have not ever had ANY diagnostic tests done. Yet often a simple aspirate of the lesion, radiograph (X-ray) of the abdomen when a suspicious mass is felt during examination, or blood testing of a pet with unexplained clinical signs such as lethargy and a lack of appetite will reveal the cause of the pet's problem. There is simply no excuse for failing to obtain a proper diagnosis. The bottom line is this: before we misdiagnose the true cause of a pet's lumps and bumps, at the very least we need to get a proper diagnosis and make sure that our treatment choice is correct.
To learn more about using natural therapies to help treat and prevent cancer in your pet, check out my new book The Natural Vet´s Guide to Preventing and Treating Cancer in Dogs (it´s also a great book for cat owners too!) And don´t forget to check my website, www.petcarenaturally.com for more information on using natural therapies to keep your pet healthy.
