# Not all lumps are the same



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Last year Lucy had a small lump on her side, that I had removed. It was not good news when the lab results came back. We are lucky that hers is manageable, but anytime you hear the word cancer your heart sinks.

June had a small lump appear on her toe last month. It felt like a hard mass and showed no sign of it being from a injury. I gave it 3 weeks but kept a daily watch on it for any change. When it didn't change, I made her a vet appointment. We decided to have it removed and sent to the lab. Lucy's lump had been on her side and only attached to the skin. That gave us a lot of room to work, but Junes being on a toe did not.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Here she is the next morning with the vet tech getting ready for her surgery.
It sure was hard to walk away from her.
And at home recuperating.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

We got good news back from the lab this week. June's was not cancer. So even though they did not get clean margins, she will need no other treatment.
She is not to happy about not going on runs, but by next week she can start doing some with it covered with a sock. We have had rain everyday since her surgery, and keeping her bandage clean and dry has been a test.
What has worked best so far is a IV bag with the bottom cut off. 
Before I started using it she would find away to get a tiny hole in the freezer bag while out to potty. I would have to change her bandage every time she did it. With the IV bag she can run around the yard for a few minutes without this happening. One of her with the IV bag covering her bandage, and the other at a recheck with the vet.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Deb - as you know - PIKE has been sliced & diced this year - got him back from the vet Wed for removal of a lump on top of his front paw - after calling the vet when his paw swelled up - removed his bandage and just spent the last 3hrs with a hot compress and massage - almost back 2 normal size - these pups are not easy or cheap 2 live with - the rewards are PRICELESS !!!!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Dang it Pike. 
I would tell you to keep a close eye on him, but I know he is in good hands. Keep me updated on that sweet boy.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I'm glad for the good news! It must have been extra nerve wrecking taking her to the new(ish) vet. Dogs don't let these things keep them down. Good luck keeping her on bed rest. 
My chow broke her leg 10 yrs ago and we had instructions to carry her down stairs and keep the cast dry. Keeping it dry was easy enough, but she had a different idea for getting down the stairs. Houses around here are usually raised up in case of flooding, so that meant stairs inside and out. I let her outside on the front porch and was about to pick her up when she stuck her broken leg up in the air and hopped down the stairs with the other three. They're tough animals.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I took her to a vet I have used in the past for OFA films.
I don't use her often, but I do know her and she has a excellent reputation with sporting breeds. She is a hour away, and her prices can put a hurting on the pocketbook. I still need to find a vet closer, but I needed someone I trusted for this.
I'm not a person that likes the unknown, so I always stress until I get the lab reports.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Break my heart !!!!!!! the new vets waiting room is almost the same as the last - check in - & PIKE goes to the scale to V weight in not under my command - to many trips - hope this ends SOON !!!!!!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Just hang in there. 
Its tough on us softhearted owners, but stay strong for him. You will both be in my thoughts, and prayers.
Deb.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I'm glad that she's going to be ok!! Sending good thoughts your way.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I hope PIKE is back home with you recuperating. 

I have gotten pretty good on wrapping Junes foot over the past week and a half. Give me a nonstick pad, roll of gauze and equine wrap and I'm good to go. If you wind up wrapping PIKEs foot yourself over the weekend, just be sure to wrap from the bottom up. Top down will cause swelling. June always liked to get her bandage wet at night before I started using the IV bag to cover it on potty trips outside.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

I think our male has the exact same thing in between his toes. The picture you posted looks exactly like his lump.

Last week we noticed he was licking a lot, looked it over and it was large swollen mass - dime sized. His became infected so the vet put him on antibiotics.

Now the infection and redness is gone but the hard, flesh colored lump is still there, though it is significantly smaller - it's about 1/4 the size of a pea now so I think it's going away. He's not limping or even licking it anymore.

Did your vet say what caused it? We thought it was a bug bite because in the middle of it was a tiny hole. I was thinking ant bite.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

No she didn't.
June's lump showed no signs of infection, and didn't have any type of head or hole. Believe me, I got out a magnifying glass and looked many times.
Because these dogs put a lot of wear and tear on their feet and bodies, I give a lump 4-5 weeks to go away on its on, before I consider having it removed. That is if it shows no sign of infection, is not getting larger, and is not bothering them. 
Some lumps the body will reabsorb if given a little time.
Other lumps that are not cancerous can still keep growing, and need to be removed. It takes a biopsy to know what cells makeup the lump or bump. 
While June and Lucy's lumps looked the same to the naked eye, they were not. I only waited 3 weeks to have Junes removed because where it was located. If it had turned out to be cancer, I was trying to save her toe. While she would have adjust to not having a toe, it would have meant a longer recovery time, and possibly other treatments.
Sometimes you will never know what caused something.
Lucy's type of cancer is rare in dogs, and even the researchers are not sure of the cause. With her it will most likely return on the skin, and can be removed. She will live a long happy life, and that's good enough for me.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

TexasRed said:


> Some lumps the body will reabsorb if given a little time.


Very true. Ruby had two lumps --- one on her ear and one on the back of her front leg between her paw pad and dew claw pad. Both of them appeared randomly one day, and even grew a bit, but a few months later and they're completely gone. I took her to the vet once and he said they were most likely sebaceous cysts. He offered that I could have them removed and biopsied if I wanted, or I could wait it out. I was worried but waited it out and now I am glad I did.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Lab results back 2day - benign cyst - YEA -PIKE operated on Tuesday - yet 2 leave front yard - these pups R TOUGH !!!!!!! let the weekend begin !!!!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

That's *great* news.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

How's Miss Lucy doing?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Thank you for asking, Lucy is wonderful. 
We have had no signs of the sarcoma returning lately, but she is hand checked by me on a daily basis. Lucy loves to snuggle and be rubbed while on the sofa with me. She is such a sweet dog, and you can roll her over in her sleep. It makes for the perfect opportunity to feel for any new bumps, and what vizsla doesn't like getting special attention.
You can't see any visible scars on her side from the surgery, only a slight indention if your really looking. Lucy is a happy go lucky girl, and I don't think a few surgeries over her lifetime will change that. We are going to look at them as just a bump in the road. Slows her down for a couple of weeks (days if she had it her way), but then she is ready to rock.


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