# Sarcoma



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

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 sad 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.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Sending get well wishes to Lucy... So glad you were vigilant and caught it early!! Please keep us posted on how her recovery is going.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

She has been doing good. Just going a little stir crazy. Leashed walks and car rides don't seem to cut it for her.
She points, and then chases the other dog through the house.


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## FLgatorgirl (Mar 11, 2013)

Poor girly. She looks sad in her picture. Hope she is feeling better soon and allowed to get back to being a V. Thank goodness you caught this early. Thank you for posting a photo.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

She was howling at the top of her lungs when she though she was being left behind. So I put a Tshirt on Lucy to keep the incisions clean , and let her have a short run on Saturday.


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## FLgatorgirl (Mar 11, 2013)

Boy, they squall like something else when they think they are missing out! Glad she got to go out today.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

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.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

TexasRed,

What did the lump feel like, do you remember? Was it soft or firm? Ruby has a similar looking lump on her ear that randomly appeared one day after she had been playing with a dog we were watching. At the time I assumed it was an injury because they were playing quite rough.

It's been there about a month now and hasn't gone away. It's very hard -- feels like there's a very tiny pebble under her skin. I'm due to take her in for her shots in about a week so will have the vet take a look at it then, but in the meantime I am curious.

Thanks! G


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Lucy's was on top of the skin. The best way to describe it is that it looked and felt (hard) like a wart, but the surface was smooth.
Lucy's type of cancer is uncommon in dogs. Its mostly found in Flat Coat Retrievers and Bernese Mountain dogs.
In cats they believe its brought on by allergies and immunizations. They are not as sure in dogs. They believe it MAY start out as a injury. Foreign object under the skin like a thorn. Lucy is a hard charger and I can't tell you how many sticker I have pick off her over the years.
Let me be clear, this part is just my opinion.
As many hard charging bird dogs as there is in the world, if it was only injury that caused sarcoma, there would be greater numbers having it. I believe something else has to come into play. I wouldn't want anyone to read this and keep their dog from the field. A life in a box, is no life for a bird dog. 

I wouldn't stress out over Ruby's bump, but have the vet check it on her next appointment. Also don't scare yourself by looking all over the internet at websites, you will get a lot of wrong information. The only ones to use are veterinary universities that do research.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

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.


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## Emily1970 (Apr 21, 2011)

Get well wishes from my gang! I know what you're going through. Lucy is beautiful and with owners like you she'll do wonderfully!


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## BlueandMac (Apr 21, 2011)

Fingers and paws crossed over here hoping that it is just scar tissue!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

BlueandMac said:


> Fingers and paws crossed over here hoping that it is just scar tissue!


We are too. I always knew there was a high probability that she would have it reoccur. We were/are just hoping that she has years between surgeries. I feel bad for her, but she is her happy self. The surgery only has her under the weather for a couple of days. Then she is ready to take on the world again, and just has to wait for the stiches to come out. She will be getting any surgery she needs, were in it for the long haul.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Poor girl, I hate to see these dogs slowed down at all. Hard for them and maybe harder for the owners. 

We'll be thinking about her and hoping for a speedy recovery and no further incidents!


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## CatK (May 29, 2013)

Thinking of you and your girl. Big hugs from us.


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