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Q*O*T*W*~*Unusual Growths-10/07

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  7556.1
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  cl-downhomeharriers  Member Icon
date:
  Oct-7 9:37 am

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

We're 1/2 way through the week. It's been a busy one for me with lots of appointments, kids with school projects due, and I'm still trying to get the house painted. Hope things are tamer with you!  Being so busy makes me worry that I am missing/forgetting something; the time passes by quicker but it doesn't feel like quality time ... you know?

One of our harrier girls, Joy, is going to be 9 in December (which is right around the corner). She has an almost perfectly round growth that has come up on her shoulder about the diameter of a doorknob (it doesn't stick out that far, of course). I had it biopsied back in the spring and it was just what my vet calls an old-age fatty tumor, not cancer. It has grown from that time though. Back then, it was about the size of a quarter. She doesn't have any other growths any place and it doesn't seem to bother her. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't interfere with her locomotion, and she still plays with her kids and pack buddies the same as always. I am alarmed at the growth rate and I don't like how it looks. What I'm trying to decide is, do I want to take her in to the vet and have it looked at again? I am sure that he'd remove it, surgically, if I asked him to ... but I am concerned about putting an older dog under anesthesia, especially purely for cosmetic reasons, and I also fear the bill for having something like that done! 

Question of the Week:  Would you consider having a harmless growth taken off your OLDER dog, purely for cosmetic reasons?  Would the size of the growth be a factor in your decision?

I am really struggling with this. It just looks really weird, a perfectly round lump on the side of her shoulder (just above her front leg). I don't want to endanger her LIFE just because something looks funky ... but it sure does look funky ... and I think most people, if they saw her, would wonder "why don't they get that removed?" when they see her. 

Thanks for your opinions! 
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suzmom1  Member Icon
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discussion title:
 

Q*O*T*W*~*Unusual Growths-10/07

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  7556.2 in response to 7556.1
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  suzmom1  Member Icon
to:
  cl-downhomeharriers  Member Icon
date:
  Oct-7 12:22 pm

If I had the money I would pay to have a fatty tumor removed.  If my dog was healthy enough to withstand surgery.  I have seen fatty tumors go from benign to cancer on dogs (especially an old dog I had a few years ago).  I saw one old dog at the vets that had a tumor hanging down from his stomach, it looked like a rock on a string hanging from his stomach.  I was really grossed out looking at it.  If he were my dog I would want it removed!  I kept wondering how that dog doesn't get it caught on things and end up ripping it off.  I have heard that you can have them drained, but it will refill eventually.  How soon, I don't know.
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Q*O*T*W*~*Unusual Growths-10/07

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  7556.3 in response to 7556.2
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  cl-downhomeharriers  Member Icon
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  suzmom1  Member Icon
date:
  Oct-7 12:57 pm

Joy's doesn't hang it's just kind of puffy ... but it is hard, not squishy. It also has her fur covering it (it hasn't gotten rubbed raw nor has the hair fallen out any). It just looks like what it is.

I will talk to DH about it to see what he thinks. I just dread the cost of a surgery this close to the holidays. His job is ending also (no confirmed date yet) which means we are trying to save as much as possible; unemployment benefits in this state won't even cover our mortgage for a month. I have a feeling I know what he is going to say. Still, I am not happy with how that thing looks.  :/
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discussion title:
 

Q*O*T*W*~*Unusual Growths-10/07

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  7556.4 in response to 7556.1
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  turdlewhipper
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  cl-downhomeharriers  Member Icon
date:
  Oct-7 1:11 pm

How much is the cost of the biopsy vs the cost of the removal surgery? Would it be worth it to have it biopsied again to be sure it hasn't turned cancerous? Would it put your mind at ease to know that it's still just a fatty tumor?

I lived with a friend who had 2 cockers for a couple years. The older one, who was about 12 or 13 years old, developed several fatty tumors. They were all biopsied and all considered benign but the number of them that sprang up was alarming. One thing I do remember though is the vet saying that they're prone to coming back if they're removed.

Given the risks of surgery for an older dog I think I'd have it tested again just to put my mind at ease and leave it be if the vet thinks it still a benign fatty tumor.

Turdle
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discussion title:
 

Q*O*T*W*~*Unusual Growths-10/07

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message #:
  7556.5 in response to 7556.4
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  cl-downhomeharriers  Member Icon
to:
  turdlewhipper
date:
  Oct-7 1:17 pm

I have to take Chet and Henry in for Rabies boosters this month. I should probably take Joy and have it aspirated again just to see if anything has changed. It would give me some peace of mind, anyhow.

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