Submitted 6/23/08

Q.) I have a two-year old weimaraner that I recently noticed had a lump. We had it removed and it showed to be a Grade II Mast Cell tumor. She was staged to see if the cancer had spread and all came back clear. I was planning to breed her but now that this has happened I do not know if I can. Is it still possible to breed her?

A.) It is still possible to breed her, but the real discussion and thought process you will have to undertake is should you breed her. The short answer, if she was my dog, would be that I wouldn’t recommend it. While some breeds of dogs have a higher tendency towards developing Mast Cell Tumors, off the top of my head, I can’t recall any genetic studies showing it has the possiblity of being an inherited trait. With that being said, I would not take the risk of passing on these genes and would not recommend breeding this dog. Two is very young to already be developing tumors, and I would at least wonder if there will be other health surprises down the road. I don’t say that intending to alarm you, or to have you sitting around waiting for the next dose of bad news. A vast majority of Mast Cell Tumors (MCT) are removed, never to be heard from again. But there are obviously some abnormalities with this particular dog that by the age of two have already manifested as cancer. There are three grades of MCTs, Grade I being the least severe and Grade III being the worst. The fact hers was a Grade II, rather than I would also concern me some.

A couple of years ago I went through a Grade III MCT with my setter Maggie (see article). While many of these tumors are very treatable, and potentially curative with removal, any type of cancer is an abnormality that likely has a component in the dog’s genes, and I wouldn’t risk passing that trait on.

My soapbox stance on breeding is that there are only two reasons to breed a dog: 1.) You have a dog that when bred to a chosen mate has the potential to better the breed, OR, 2.) You have a dog that epitomizes your chosen breed and you want to perpetuate those genetics. I realize the second point is open to interpretation; however, I think if viewed with the rose-colored glasses off and with a critical eye towards what you are looking to accomplish, you can at least attempt to make that decision objectively.

Submitted 7/21/08

Q.) We have a male black lab that is 11 years old About four or five years ago he developed a growth on his head. At first it looked like a black tick. Since then it has gradually grown and is now more than half-inch across, and a quarter inch high with a lumpy, uneven surface. It bleeds easily if bumped but doesn’t seem to bother him. What should we do?

A.) I’m not one for messing around with lumps and bumps. They aren’t supposed to be there, so I like to get them off and find out what they are. In this particular case there are a number of red flags that would make me want to get it off even quicker: the black color (I’d worry about melanoma), the fact it is growing in size, the irregular nature to its shape, and the fact it bleeds regularly. Any of these alone would result in my recommending it be removed, the fact they are occurring together would be even more concerning.

Certainly there are a number of benign masses that also can have these characteristics. The fact that it has been there for years is also a good thing from the perspective of being benign. For my own dogs I’m a cut it off and send it in to find out what it is type of guy, and I strongly recommend this to my clients as well.

Now I’m sure there are some readers out there with lumpy-bumpy dogs that are thinking I’d go broke taking off every single mass that my dog gets, and you may be correct. I strongly recommend initially taking masses off; however, once a pattern of benign masses is established I’m also comfortable with monitoring some lumps and bumps by doing needle aspirates instead of full-on surgical removals. The key here is to know what you are dealing with first and to make an educated plan with your veterinarian.

Submitted 8/21/04:
Q:
I have a female pointer that has been diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. The disease is spreading quickly. Is there anything I can give her to help make her last days more comfortable?

She is on steroids now. She is still eating and drinking but the lymph nodes in her neck are really enlarged making it hard to swallow. I know the day is coming that I will have to put her down and I don’t want her to suffer, any advise would be greatly appreciated.

A:
First I’d like to offer my sympathies in your situation, as a disease like cancer is never anything but terrible to deal with. Cancer in dogs is always tough to handle because we just can’t get as aggressive with treatment as they do in people. Lymphoma is an especially aggressive cancer, and I’ve seen people go all routes from very aggressive chemo to doing nothing, and unfortunately the end results are the same…the quality time to get there is the only difference. I’d like to tell you I have a magic bullet or at least something that would be helpful but I don’t. My recommendation would be to keep doing what you're doing, and try to make her as comfortable as possible. If she seems to worsen some, you also may talk with your veterinarian about possibly increasing the Prednisone dose, though if she is already on a very high dose that may not be an option.

This is probably my least favorite part of veterinary medicine when an owner asks me to tell them when its time with a dog that is not ever going to get better and that is progressively getting worse. Over the years I’ve come to a theory that is now my standard answer in these situations: you’ll know when it’s time. By that I mean I think the dog reaches a point, and you and your family, when you just know that it's time, and when you reach that point, don’t second-guess yourself, because it will be the right thing to do for your hunting partner. I’m not trying to say that there is a magic time for each dog; I believe that if 10 different people owned your dog there would probably be 10 different timeframes when that decision was made…and all of them equally right. Each of us have an individual contract with our dogs, and although it doesn’t make it any easier, when “it’s time,” it truly is the greatest gift we give them in the end.

Submitted 7/7/04:
Q:
My seven-year old female Vizlsa (very healthy) has developed lumps on her chest. I’ve had them tested by our local vet (young, just out of school) and they think they are just fatty tumors after taking a sample and looking under the microscope. I’m concerned that they may eventually impede her in the field. Should I have them removed?

A:
If I’m fairly confident that a growth is a lipoma (fatty tumor), I will often give the same options it sounds like you have been given: essentially keep an eye on it until it changes, bothers the dog, or impedes normal movement in anyway. I will also add on that if an owner has any concerns or wants to know for certain what the lumps are that we should get them off and sent in to a pathologist. Typically from my perspective the biggest problem I see is that people will wait too long and let the mass get too big before electing to have the surgery. The biggest problems we see with lipomas are the ones in the armpit and groin as they will cause a dog to swing its leg out over the tumor and this abnormal gait can lead to arthritis. Basically what it boils down to is there is no right or wrong answer with these types of tumors and it comes down to what would make you and the dog feel better. If they are not currently causing a problem and you are comfortable monitoring them I would lean away from surgery…but if they are in an area where they could easily start causing a problem and you are concerned I’d say let’s get them off so she’s healed up by hunting season.

Submitted 8/6/2006:
Q:
My five-year old setter has developed an Intraocular Melanoma. One larger one in the left eye and one smaller, possibly mobile, in the left. Any information on this condition, prognosis, treatment, etc would be appreciated?

A:
Conditions of the eyes definitely call for a visit to a veterinary ophthalmologist. I’m going to speculate that you have not been, as they would be able to answer all of these questions. I will say that I routinely find pigmented abnormalities in the eye that are NOT melanomas. There are different cysts that can form in the eye that appear to be floating balls, that while they look very strange are not anything of concern unless they cause a structural problem. Also, some pets will have benign pigment changes to their irises that occur as they age.

My only real suggestion is to have this evaluated by an ophthalmologist. I’m particularly interested in the official diagnosis with the involvement of both eyes. As far as incidence melanomas of the iris are rare, whereas conditions like an iris freckle or melanosis (hyperpigmentation of the iris) are more common. The good news is that the rate of metastasis of primary melanomas of the eye is less than 6%, thus many veterinary ophthalmologists will hold off on surgery until secondary problems develop, like glaucoma.

You definitely will have more answers after visiting a specialist. Good luck.

Submitted 8/30/04:
Q:
I have 2 English Setters, age 13 and 14, but they are in good shape. I have noticed they are getting these little flesh-colored growths (tumor or wart). What are they and other than getting the vet to cut them off can I use something to get rid of them? Sometimes they bruise or cut them when hunting.

A:
Without seeing them it’s difficult to make any specific recommendations. That being said, benign, warty-like growths are fairly common in older dogs and my recommendations usually hinge on what benefit are we doing the dog with our treatment (i.e. an idle house dog may not need treatment, and active hunting dog may)?

The first step would be to have your vet take a look and make sure he/she also feels they are of little consequence, and if not, then they will need to be surgically removed. Outside of “cutting them off” there aren’t many other options. If the tumors are pretty small and in just the outer layer of skin, I have had good success with burning them off with a laser and only using local anesthesia; this will depend on size and location. As far as doing something at home I would strongly urge against that course.