Vet Neil McIntosh on lumps
Vet’s advice Neil McIntosh SG’s gundog health expert
This is a common question, Chris, and a good one. It is alarming, as a dog owner, to find a lump and, obviously, owners will want an explanation in order to put their minds at rest.
An explanation
This is most likely to be a non-cancerous mass called a chalazion – a swelling caused by blockage of a meibomian gland. These glands line the eyelids and, if you look carefully, you can see their openings on the lid margin. They produce an oily substance that helps reduce the evaporation of the watery part of tears. Occasionally, the openings become blocked and the secretion builds up, causing visible swellings that can eventually rupture and disperse, or become infected. Warm compresses, gently applied to the swelling, can help to liquidise the material and aid its dispersal.
The eyelids
But, regrettably, there are other problems that must be considered. We tend to take the eyelids for granted, don’t we? We worry about joints , hearts, kidneys and livers but are inclined to forget the humble eyelids. They are vital for our sight and comfort, as they protect and exclude light from the eye, produce a portion of tears and provide a mechanism to spread tears across the front of the eye. You can remove about one-third of a normal eyelid without causing dysfunction, so it is important that growths are not allowed to get so large as to compromise the situation.
Benign lump
Histiocytomas are generally smooth, round, raised, pink lesions that might look bad but often regress spontaneously within a few weeks. They are more common in young dogs (and more likely to disappear in this group than in geriatrics). Surgery is only required if they become ulcerated and are still causing issues after three months. Most of the time, they are just ‘lumps’.
Complications
Cysts and the like are one thing but meibomian gland tumours, which include adenomas and epitheliomas, are the most commonly diagnosed tumours of the eyelid, accounting for up to 60% of cases. They are benign but can cause secondary infection and irritation, so sometimes have to be surgically excised. They generally look like tiny pink or grey raspberries and can be quite friable and inclined to bleed when damaged. Everting the eyelid usually reveals that these tumours extend into the conjunctiva. If you find that the white part of the eye, the sclera, looks bloodshot and sore, then action should be taken. Other signs to look out for include excessive blinking and tear production.
“My dog has a small, round lump on her upper eyelid. Is this something I should worry about?” CHRIS DALE, BERKSHIRE
Further complications
And then there are melanocytomas and malignant melanomas, which are pink to black in colour. The former can be cured by surgical excision but the latter, being locally invasive and inclined to spread elsewhere in the body, require a more radical approach. The problem is, only histological examination of excised tissue in the laboratory can provide a definitive diagnosis,
“Mast cell tumours are the most common malignant skin tumours in dogs, occasionally appearing on the eyelids”
confirming, yet again, that this veterinary lark is not so easy.
Serious complications
Mast cell tumours are the most common malignant skin tumours in dogs and they occasionally occur on the eyelids. They are extremely difficult to distinguish from other lumps by sight alone, as they vary greatly in appearance, though they are generally solitary. Since some have the potential to metastasise (spread), it is important that they are diagnosed early. This can usually be accomplished by aspiration of cells with a fine needle, with cytology done at a veterinary laboratory. It is also recommended that the local lymph node (which is the one under the posterior jaw) is checked for spread. Elsewhere in the body, normal practice is to excise widely around mast cell tumours but this is simply not possible when they are on the eyelid. Specialist advice may be required, which can be expensive.
Beyond
There are many more lumps and bumps (too many to mention), but we have covered the most common. I hope that you can get this wee lump dealt with soon. Good luck.