Dog with large tumor on neck.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks so much for your question David. I would love to see a picture of Rex's lump. Can you email me some pictures at #####?

I won't be able to give you a diagnosis but I can definitely give you my thoughts on your situation.

I am just heading out of the office and will be back online in 30-60 minutes, so when I come back online I'll check my email for the photos.

Thanks,
Dr. Marie


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Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, poor Rex. This is indeed a very large growth. When I first read your description of a lump on the neck I wondered if perhaps this was an abscess, but unfortunately by looking at the pictures I am more concerned about cancer. (Please note, I cannot legally make a diagnosis online, so this is only my guess by looking at the pictures.)

If I had Rex in my office right now I would likely be doing a fine needle aspirate which is a test that usually tells us what we are dealing with. But, regardless of what type of cancer this is there may not be much we can do for him.

There is a possibility that this is a benign growth which means that it would not spread to other areas (such as the lungs or liver). However, it looks like it is growing rapidly. The ulcerated area tells me it is growing too much for the skin to keep up with.

When he is having breathing difficulties it may be that the lump is growing inwards as well and actually constricting his trachea (windpipe).

There is a chance that this lump could be removed surgically, but it would be a very difficult surgery. The lump is right in the area where the jugular veins and carotid arteries go and if it encircles these vessels it may not be able to be removed.

There really is not much you can do to reduce the size of this lump. If the ulcerated area is smelly or has pus oozing then a course of antibiotics would help for the short term but these would need to be prescribed by a vet. If this were my case I may possibly be prescribing some steroids such as prednisone to help short term with the swelling but again it is a short term solution.

If Rex is having more and more problems with breathing it may be time to make some hard decisions here. This is a problem that is not going to go away and will continue to get worse.

I'm sorry for the bad news.

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome Dave. I really hope everything goes ok!

Dr. Marie.