Dear Dr. Forsythe: I recently got a dental done on my sweet old chocolate Lab. At the same time I had the vet remove a small growth from the inside of her cheek. At the time I thought it was nothing, but it turned out to be an oral melanoma. The lab report came back with a guarded prognosis and I have been really worried ever since. Is it true that this is as deadly in dogs as it is in people? – Millie Mocha’s mom
Dear Millie’s mom: Yes, this is a pretty serious type of tumor. It is good that you had it removed surgically and sent to the lab. One of the benefits of sending histopathology to the lab is identifying the type of tumor, but it is also nice to know if the margins were clean. Since melanoma is a dangerous malignancy, we like to have clean, deep margins, so, often, the veterinarian will go back in and get deeper margins around the original surgical excision to make sure that the entire tumor was removed with no cancer remaining.
It is also really important to test the regional lymph nodes to make sure they are cancer free. This is done by taking fine needle aspirates and examining them under the microscope to check for the presence – and hopefully absence – of metastasis (spread) to the regional lymph nodes in the neck.
Doctors usually check X-rays of the lungs to make sure the cancer has not spread there, and an ultrasound of the abdomen to make sure that the liver, spleen and other organs look normal. Consultation with a board certified veterinary oncologist who has advanced training specifically with cancer can also provide expert advice and treatment for your pet.
One new treatment available from such specialists is a new melanoma vaccine that is given to pets that have been treated for melanoma in order to prevent a recurrence of the tumor. The combination of aggressive surgical excision of the tumor followed by the use of this vaccine seems to show the most promise with this serious type of cancer. Good luck with Millie. I’ll bet she’s a sweet pet. – Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I am writing because my dog is experiencing more and more pain in the last several months and I’m not sure what is causing the problem. “Ace” is 14 years old and has several fatty tumors all over his body. My last vet told me they weren’t serious so we never had them taken off, but now they are so big I am worried they could be causing more pain or at least contributing to his problem. But at his age I feel he is too old to have them removed. What do you suggest I do about this? – Worried about the Fatty Masses
Dear Worried: “Harmless” fatty tumors or “lipomas” are benign masses that don’t cause serious problems when they are small and located in areas that do not bother pets. However, when they grow larger, even these non-cancerous growths begin to cause problems for our four legged friends. They cause pressure, they feed on a blood supply and they are heavy, so your pet can feel their presence on the body all the time. “Harmless” lipomas can become “invading” lipomas and even morph into the more dangerous cancerous version called a liposarcoma over time.
I am surprised how cavalier many of my colleagues are about these growths. I think that most of the time, they should be removed since they really do nothing to enhance a pet’s life. They usually grow bigger and sometimes cause pain and problems for pets, depending on the location. A good question to ask yourself is: If I had this large, apple sized fat mass growing on my hip, would I want to just watch and monitor it? If the answer is “no” then why leave it on your pet?
My suggestion – have the lump checked out with the intention of getting it removed. Your pet will probably feel better and live more comfortably. Since I believe that age is a time of life and not an illness, 14 years of age is still a reasonable time of life to have the procedure done so he can feel comfortable and healthy, assuming there are no other complications with his health. Thanks for your question. – Dr. F
