One of the most common lumps that owners find on their dogs is the lipoma. When I tell owners the lump they were worried about is a lipoma, it’s met with relief, since these are not cancerous. But they are not always 100% benign. A lipoma is defined as a mass of fat, AKA a […]
Having a pet you thought was healthy suddenly become life-threateningly ill, or even unexpectedly die, is probably the worst thing a pet owner can experience. Part of it is shock – how did this happen so suddenly? Part of it is the guilt, feeling like you missed something you should have noticed. Would your pet […]
Every day I have an owner show me a lump on their dog and express concern about what it is. Fortunately, the vast majority of these masses are cysts, skin tags, lipomas, or other non-threatening growths, much to the relief of the owner. Occasionally, a lump will be cancerous, and then of course we have […]
Let’s talk tumors, growths, lumps, cancer, whatever you want to call it. And why certain ones suck, but do not suck as bad as others. There are two broad categories of tumor, based on the cell type from which they originate. Round cell tumors are your lymphomas, mast cells, other tumors whose cells look, well, […]
I know, the words “favorite” and “tumor” in the same sentence is a little weird. Hear me out… Imagine a lump showing up on your dog’s leg. It’s big. It’s nasty looking. Sometimes they bleed. You’re freaked, so you take your dog to your veterinarian to see what it is. You’re envisioning surgery for removal […]
If you’ve watched a (human) family member go through chemotherapy, you know it’s usually awful. You’re probably thinking “I would never put a pet I love through that.” Neither would I. But chemotherapy in pets is very different than it is in people. That’s a good thing. There are some similarities as well. Here’s some […]