Sarcoma

My female Lucy had a small lump on her side, about a 1/4 of the size of a pencil eraser. It was on the surface of the skin. She is a fast runner and bust through cover, so I didn't think much of it at first. It didn't go away and then looked a little larger, so it was off to the vet.
Horrible picture but it just looks like a tiny lump of skin.

The vet thought if would be best to have it removed and sent to the lab. Made a appointment for the surgery. Two days before the surgery a second lump (smaller than the first) appeared about 4 inches away from the first.
Both were removed and sent to the lab.
This is Lucy being comforted by my daughter. You can see the shaved area and stiches on her side. She has had to wear a tshirt to keep from scratching it.

The results came back today. Its low grade sarcoma. The good news is they did get clean margins. She gets her stiches out next Thursday and will be so happy to be back out in the field. I will need to keep a close eye on her for any recurring lumps.
I know these dogs are always getting lumps and bumps, but if one does not go away or appears to grow a vet check is in order.

Hope everything works out!

Good luck. Hang in there.

Glad you caught it and you have it managed...

Good Thoughts!!!

Angie

Glad you got them removed.

I hate the stuff.

Lucy had her stiches removed today. So she will be back to the fields and ponds, doing what she loves most.
I spoke with the vet at length on sarcoma.
In medical terms from her lab report. Sections of haired skin contained a nodular, dermal neoplasm that consists of disorganized sheet, short bundles, whorls, and palisades of plump spindle shaped cells within a moderate fibrous stroma. Neoplactic cells contain amphophilic with central nuclie. Anisocytoisi and anisokaryosis are moderate. Mitotic activity is low; 2 were observed in 10 random 40x fields.

What this all means is that even with them getting clean margins the likely hood is that she will have it reappear. Its a uncommon cancer in dogs (fatal in cats) but as long as I keep a close watch, and have any small lumps removed (they can grow quite large if untreated) it can be managed.

Wow, don't know how I missed this. Stay on top of it Kindall (sounds like you are), wishing you the best.

Glad she is doing better. Hang in there.

She'll be happy to get back out there!

Yesterday I felt a tiny bump when I was rubbing her side. Its right on the scar line of the past incision. The vet looked at her today, and thinks it could possibly (were hoping) be scar tissue. I'm going to watch it closely and if I think there is even the slightest growth, it will be removed.
I was hoping she was going to have sometime, before she had to deal with it again.
Tomorrow it will be 2 months since the first surgery. She is such a sweetheart of a dog, that I would hate to keep putting her through this.

She'll be all right... Dogs are so stoic. If she understood, I'm sure she'd op for more surgery then the alternative..

Just be strong for her.

Angie

She will be getting any, and or all the surgery she needs.
I would never put her down for something that can be managed.
I was just hoping for a year before she might need more.
She only shows signs of being under the weather for a couple of days. Definably not a bad trade off, considering the alternative.
I feel bad for her, but she is her happy self.