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Old April 7th, 2009, 09:09 AM
ScottieDog ScottieDog is offline
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Do you get your pet's lumps, bumps and warts checked by a vet?

Yesterday Mac and I went to visit our favorite vet because I found a squishy lump behind one of his shoulders. Fortunately the exam and aspiration showed the lump was made of fatty cells and we are going to monitor it.

My boy will be 14 later this month. I feel that any lumps, growths or warts need to be checked by a professional. My vet agreed and told me I did the right thing bringing Mac in. Since I've had Mac, he has been checked for 3 warts, a bump in his mouth and the fatty thing at his shoulder. I don't think this is bad given his age. He did have one wart removed while he was under anesthesia for a dental. It was on the top of his head and he would rub it and make it bleed frequently. I keep hearing people say I overreact to things like this, but I don't think I do. If I had a lump or strange growth on my body I would get a doctor to check it out. I don't think I've had him in excessively to be checked.

What do you folks do in situations like this? And I'm shamelessly sharing a photo of my handsome guy.
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Old April 7th, 2009, 09:21 AM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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Your dog is gorgeous BTW.

In my animals I do monitor the lumps and bumps as they arrive. I do not rush to the vet for younger dogs - however if they should change, then I go. Usually it's nothing.

For older dogs, I go right away. Having a dog that passed due to cancer, I am very diligent on having these checked, bio-opsied (spelling sorry) and then I take it from there. In these cases, the quicker they are checked, the greater chance of survival.

I do not recommend however fatty bumps being removed unless they hinder mobility. I learnt a valuable lesson with this, which I truly believe hindered my poors boy's progress. It just was not worth the pain for him even though I did have the cancerous bump removed at the same time. It's just not worth it and may have aged him even more.

So yes, I love my animals and would get them checked if a noticeable change happens with those lumps and bumps.
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Old April 7th, 2009, 10:22 AM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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We check them all out, too. If only for our peace of mind...

I don't think it's overreacting...but people tell me it is. I just ignore them.
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Old April 7th, 2009, 10:23 AM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Forgot to mention how cute I think your little furbaby is.
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Old April 7th, 2009, 10:40 AM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
We check them all out, too. If only for our peace of mind...

I don't think it's overreacting...but people tell me it is. I just ignore them.
As you said, for peace of mind why not. And it's not overreacting, it is being cautious.

This decision is an individual one. After the almost hundreds of dogs I have had coming in and going out, I can say for certain the in almost all cases, there was nothing to worry about. For the older dogs however I believe that one must be very diligent and have these little inperfections checked.
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Old April 7th, 2009, 10:42 AM
SnowDancer SnowDancer is offline
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Most definitely. Our Beagle and our Dachshunds were prone to lumps - fortunately all were benign but we weren't about to take the risk. So far our Eskie has not had any but we check him regularly - and we he gets groomed, groomer checks as well. A lot harder to notice on a double-coated dog.
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Old April 7th, 2009, 12:20 PM
ScottieDog ScottieDog is offline
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As I guess you can see, my Mac is a little on the hairy side so his little places can be easily hidden. I'm glad to see I'm not being overly cautious. We are not discussing removing the fatty lump. My vet said for us to monitor it for growth, but as long as it doesn't interfere with his mobility it is best to leave it alone. Given Mac's age, I really wanted him checked out. Thanks for letting me know I'm not over-reacting and not the only one who checks these things out. Given last year with Tipper (spleen removal, bladder cancer, hepatitis and kidney failure) I sometimes wonder if I panic too soon with my little guy. I know he is old, but I want him to have the best I can give him. I think I too will chose to ignore the people who think I over react. Luckily, hubby feels the same way I do too.

And thanks for the nice comments about my sweetie. I think he is handsome, but I'm biased!
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Old April 7th, 2009, 03:45 PM
.unknown. .unknown. is offline
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I have an older Lab/rottwieler mix. She has a few lumps, all of which are cysts. Her vet told me to keep an eye on them and if they change size/shape/texture or start bleeding to bring her in. In the mean time, he taught me how to check to see what kind of lump it might be by touch.

Obviously, it is not a definitive diagnosis (i would never take my judgement over his), however, he said that if the lump seems to be just under the skin and can move around with the skin then it might be a cyst. If the lump cannot easily move with the skin and seems to be bound deeper in tissues or whatever, then it might be something more serious. I have taken her in for a few lumps in the past year, none of which were serious in nature. But, I will continue to do so if i notice that there is something fishy going on.

My childhood dog got mammary cancer and it was a lump that wasn't taken seriously at first, so, I am ultra paranoid about any lumps my dogs get now

Better safe than sorry!!
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Old April 7th, 2009, 04:44 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Love your Scottiewhat a sweet little old guy
I would say,definitely have any lumps checked out,one of my cats(from many years ago) who was overweight had a small lump,my then vet said it was a fatty lump.
A few months later it was large and cancerous,the vet was wrong and at the time I was too ignorant,poor Peppi had to be put down.
I have learned my lesson.
So yes,always be vigilant with lumps and bumps..
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Old April 7th, 2009, 05:48 PM
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TacoGrl TacoGrl is offline
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Another vote for sweetie

I too take my furries to the vet what some would think too much, but who cares...better safe than sorry...I actually just got back from the vet with Messina...she has a bad case of acne on her chin and what I thought a temperature...now her and Seth are going over her ordeal and both playing in the carrier (HUGE step for Seth btw)...I love my furries and you bet I will do what I can to make sure they are ok!
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Old April 7th, 2009, 08:53 PM
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Mat&Murph Mat&Murph is offline
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your fur baby is way too cute!!
I go to the vet for all bumps and lumps. I get too paranoid lol
If you feel better then you should go
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Old April 7th, 2009, 09:11 PM
ScottieDog ScottieDog is offline
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Thanks everyone. If I'm paranoid, then it is a good thing. I feel I'm in good company.
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  #13  
Old April 9th, 2009, 02:46 PM
hdme hdme is offline
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Our dog developed a soft lump on her side last year. We had her vet check it out and it was determined to be a harmless fatty tumor. A few days after Christmas, we found a golfball sized hard lump near our dogs shoulderblade. It appeared suddently so we brought her in immediately and within 2 weeks, had it removed by a surgeon who specializes in tumor removal. Luckily, it was benign, but we were very worried because it seemed to come out of nowhere. We hated putting our girl under anesthesia, but we decided it was best to know for sure what we were dealing with. Our girl is 9.5-10 yrs old and just started developing these lumps and bumps and we're having them all examined and at least watched for any signs of growth or change.
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