What do I do if I find a lump or bump on my pet?

posted: Mon Aug 19 14:59:01 EDT 2024 by: Tammy Chastain DVM Tags: "Clinic Specials" "News" 

So, you have found a new or changing lump or bump on your pet.  Should you be concerned?

A common reason for a patient to present to us for an exam is that their owner has found a new lump or bump.  This is a valid concern, because new or changing masses on or underneath the skin can sometimes be a sign of certain cancers.  Not all cancers will present with a palpable lump or bump, and not all lumps/bumps are cancer, but most should be investigated.  Below are a few rules of thumb to help determine whether an exam with the veterinarian is warranted when you have concern about a spot on your pet.  

Please reach out to your veterinarian if:

1.) The mass is the size of a pea or larger and has been present for more than a month.
2.)  The mass is increasing or quickly changing in size
3.)  The area of concern is bleeding or bothering the pet
4.)  The lump feels firmly attached or not easily moveable
5.)  The lump appears to be in the mammary gland/breast tissue area of a female dog or cat.

What to expect during an appointment to investigate a concerning lump or bump.

There are a few ways that your veterinarian can determine what type of mass is present, but the most common is either a fine needle aspirate or biopsy.  A fine needle aspirate is a procedure in which a small needle is inserted into the lump in an attempt to collect some cells from within the mass to put on a microscope slide for evaluation.  The advantage to this procedure is that it is less invasive and, in most cases, does not require sedation or anesthesia.  The disadvantage is that it sometimes leads to inconclusive results.  Some types of tumors do not exfoliate well.  In other words, the cells do not come easily through a needle to have a good representative sample to analyze, resulting in inconclusive findings.

A biopsy is an actual tissue sample that is obtained surgically.  This is a procedure that is typically more reliable when it comes to results, but is more invasive and requires sedation or anesthesia to perform.  There are two subcategories when it comes to biopsies.  Excisional biopsies are those in which the entire mass or lump is removed and submitted for histopathology to the lab, while incisional biopsies consist of taking a small piece of tissue from a mass initially to obtain a diagnosis before further surgery or treatment planning is instituted.  The latter is more commonly used for larger lumps or in locations where taking the entire lump with acceptable margins might be difficult such as the leg or face.

Once a diagnosis is made, a treatment plan can be designed.  Possible options might include simply monitoring a benign or noncancerous mass for changes, to surgery, and/or other options such as radiation or chemotherapy for more malignant or aggressive tumors.  Your veterinarian may also suggest staging for more malignant tumors.  This is a process in which additional imaging and/or labwork is performed to help determine if the tumor has spread or metastasized to other areas of the body.

Many lumps or bumps can be very treatable with successful outcomes, especially when caught early in the disease process.  As is the case with most cancers, earlier intervention and treatment often will result in a better prognosis.