Help! Large mass on base of dog's tail

[shellirae1]

Yesterday, I noticed drops of blood all over the carpet, and after checking my dog carefully I found a huge lump at the top of her tail (near her behind) that was bleeding. I took her to the ER immediately...after shaving her tail, they found a lime size mass on the outside of the skin. They removed it and sent it in for further testing. The vet said she had never seen anything like it on the tail. She talked about possible cancer.

Has anyone seen or heard of anything like this? I have a few more days to wait for results but I am a mess! Thx

[hazelrunpack]

Scary stuff...but take a deep breath and think positive. No sense in getting yourself sick with worry until you know what you're dealing with. With luck, it'll turn out to be something like an abcess

How is your dog's energy? Is she eating, drinking, pooping/peeing normally?

[shellirae1]

I'm trying to stay positive, it's hard...my 14 year old is a leukemia survivor...cancer is not my friend. She is a fat lazy dog that lives for her mama. She sleeps a lot, however that is not a new thing. I just took the bandage off as directed and it is oozing a bit. It also looks as if the site of the removal is filling up with blood. I will keep watch overnight and get her back in tom. if it gets worse. I live in Colorado and we are suppose to get 12-16" overnight

[diandpat]

Welcome to the board shellirae1. Sorry it is under such trying circumstances :sad:

I have never heard of anything like this and the waiting totally sucks

Try not to let your brain "go there". It could be nothing too.

What kind of dog do you have? How old? How does she seem otherwise?

Try to keep busy and make sure to keep us posted on any results you receive.

There are many knowledgeable members here. I am sure someone will have more info for you.

Good luck

[shellirae1]

Thank you! It was just weird to me that the vet had never seen anything like this. She is a pretty seasoned ER vet. Maxie is a black lab mix, 8-9 yrs old. She is fat and lazy..so it is very hard to notice any change in behavior. She looks sad. She is eating normally, thank goodness. Thanks for the encouraging words!

[hazelrunpack]

I suspect the site stings a bit...which might be why she looks sad.

When can you reasonably expect to hear the results? I hope it's not too long...in my experience, the waiting is the worst part But maybe it's just that I'm not real long on patience

I wish it were under less stressful circumstance, but welcome to the board, shellirae!

[kathryn]

I dunno, I would imagine it being a reaction to a bug bite/sting or an injury Is your dog fluffy where you never noticed it before hiding under her fur? I would think if it had been there before you would have noticed it while petting her...

It could have just been a ruptured cyst or something. Let us know if you find out anything new.

[shellirae1]

It was on the base of her tail, by her butt. I am kicking myself for not seeing it, I am usually very vigilant when it comes to my kids (human and canine). My son had cancer at age 6 and we went through 4 years of hell with it. (He is doing great now!) I normally don't pet her where he mass was so I don't know how long it has been there. She is very hairy...and it was hidden somewhat. I am hoping it is just a benign cyst...

[CLOUD]

My dog Billy is an eight month old boxer. He has a similar darkish/purple mass on the tip of his tail. It is about 3/4 of an inch long and a 1/4 inch wide. It almost looks like a grub worm slightly under the skin. I was hoping you could tell me if this is similar to what your dog had, and what I might need to do.
Thanks