Get growth checked out
Dear Dr. John,
Our 12-year-old dog has developed a growth on the inside of her left front leg and in the past few months it seems to have gotten larger. It is now about the size of a lime.
I’ve enclosed a photograph for you to see it.
The surface is smooth and pink, and the growth is still mostly covered by hair. What could it be and what might be the risks if we do nothing right now? She had ACL knee surgery over a year ago but we’re sure it’s not related. In the likelihood that we need to have it removed, how difficult a surgery would be involved, what risks might there be, and should the growth be biopsied given her advanced age? We’re not inclined to go to exhaustive measures with cancer therapy or such but want to do what’s right but not too extensive. Thanks. A.M. Dear A.M.,
Thanks for sending a photograph as it gives me a better sense of what we are dealing with but, as a general rule of thumb, things like this usually need to be seen in real time for proper assessment. Telemedicine has become more acceptable and frankly, needed, during these recent times. As you suggest, the growth is in no way related to her ACL surgery. From the looks of it, a few different kinds of growths come to mind — it could be a fatty tumor known as a lipoma or another mesenchymal tumor such as a fibrosarcoma or other soft tissue sarcomas. Nerve sheath tumors also come to mind. These growths are usually well encapsulated but my experience with nerve sheath tumors is that they seem to extend locally at a microscopic level and if on the leg, complete surgical removal can be difficult .
A needle biopsy could be worthwhile to ascertain what kind of growth it might be. One risk is anesthetic due to your dog’s age and presurgical bloodwork would be a must to assess overall health of organ systems. Metastasis might occur and presurgical radiographs of the chest would be useful also to make sure it has not spread there. Another risk of leaving the growth alone is that as the skin tightens over the growth as it enlarges, it becomes more easily torn. The larger the growth, the more difficult it might be to achieve good closure of the surgical wound.
In summary, have a needle aspirate done and have your veterinarian see and palpate the growth and proceed from there.