Is it normal for vets to shave a dog's infected lump before removal?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A mass on the skin is never "normal," but it is not uncommon to see skin masses appear as patient's age. It is virtually impossible to be able to distinguish a benign versus a malignant (cancerous) growth based on appearance alone, which is why we typically rely on biopsies or fine needle aspirates for diagnosis. Fine needle aspirates are less invasive and do not require sedation/anesthesia, but only give us a small picture of the mass since we are only able to sample the cells present within the needle used. Removal of a mass with submission for histopathology (biopsy) is always preferred and recommended for masses that change in size or shape. If the mass on Bradley's leg is changing, continually infected, or is irritating/painful for him, it would be best to have the mass removed and submitted for histopathology. Even if the mass is benign, it is serving as a source of irritation/infection for him, and could potentially become malignant in the future.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you can shave the fur away and clean the area twice daily with warm and mild soap then apply a topical antibacterial cream twice daily it may help. If the area gets worse or isn't starting to improve with a week you should have her seen by a Vet. Most exams and antibiotics shouldn't be that expensive. I hope this helps and I wish Akuma the best!

an open and infected tumor should be removed. If it happens to be a lipoma (fatty lump) then this should be curative. If it happens to be another type of tumor, then your vet should do an x-ray of the lungs to check whether there are metastases. I think you should get a second opinion from another veterinarian or a veterinary oncologist.

You don't mention exactly what the first growth was that was removed from the left side of his neck, but hopefully that was either benign, or perhaps not but was completely removed with the surgery. Lumps can appear anywhere on a dog, and they certainly seem to increase in frequency as dogs get older. I wouldn't panic, but yes, the 2 situations you've already suspected are possible, and I'll add a third: 1.) The groomer went too close with the clippers, and nicked him. 2.) This is a new growth, which may or may not be related to the first one (i.e. may be the same type or something completely different). 3.) The groomer could have nicked a growth with the clippers! It does sound like it's pretty nasty, and I tend to be fairly aggressive with wounds that may have happened at the groomers, since they can easily get infected. I would recommend getting Brody in to your vet today for evaluation, cleaning of the area, and possibly oral antibiotics.

I am assuming that your vet did a needle aspirate and wasn't able to get a diagnosis. The only way to know the cause of the lumps would be to remove them and submit to a lab for biopsy. As long as he is otherwise healthy then the risk of anesthesia is low. If he needs a dental cleaning then your vet could do both at the same time. If you don't want to have them removed then you could monitor for a month or so and see how the lumps change. If they are growing then they really should be removed.

Poor girl. Because this mass is open and seems to be bothering her I would highly consider having this mass removed surgically. Sometimes if the mass is small (less than 2 cm's) we can do a sedative on the pet and quickly remove these. However if it is a larger mass then general anesthesia may be required. She also needs to be placed on oral antibiotics to keep this area from getting infected and daily cleaning of the mass as well. Sterile saline flushes can help keep this area relatively clean and then an e-collar placed on her can help prevent licking. If surgery isn't an option for you, then medical management with antibiotics, e-collar and regular cleanings may allow proper healing of the area, but in most cases surgical removal is the best option. Best of luck!

Some types of growths are not able to diagnosed with an aspirate, and require a biopsy for diagnosis. It could be that your vet is concerned that based on the appearance and the way it feels (hard and fixed) that the growth is malignant, and removal is the best option instead of doing an aspirate. More than likely, your vet will send the growth on Koda to the lab for a biopsy after removal. It can happen that the vet decides to remove a growth without doing an aspirate, so this is a normal occurrence.