Facial Tumors in Dogs-Questions

[WestieMomma]

We just found out this morning that our dog has a small tumor by her nose that will need to be removed. It is very small probably less that half the size of a dime but DH noticed it a few weeks ago and it has grown in size. I thought it was a ringworm because she had something similar before. DH took our dog to the vet so I wasn't there to ask many questions unfortunately. I will be calling them on Monday to get some more info since DH is way too vague! She has started on some antibiotics and will probably have the surgery done the first week on Nov.

What kind of recovery can we expect with this procedure? Will her face possibly looked deformed after the surgery? She had a fatty tumor removed form her stomach last year and the vet said she may get more but in her facial area?? I'm wondering if they are related? Also we are going out of town the whole week of Thanksgiving and were planning to board her but now I'm thinking I need to find a friend to watch her because I have no idea how she will be doing by then.

Anyone been through this and have any advice? Thanks!

[kemorr]

The tumor on her nose could be anything from a benign "cyst" type lesion (eg a sebaceous gland adenoma) or a benign skin tumor (histiocytoma, basal cell tumor), or potentially something cancerous such as a mast cell tumor. Given that it is growing on her face, it is unlikely to be a fatty tumor, but it is possible. The most important thing for you to do is make sure that once the tumor is off, that it is sent into a lab for histopathology so that you know exactly what type of tumor it was, whether it was benign or malignant and whether it was completely removed or not. Even if your vet seems pretty sure of what type of tumor it is, insist on having it sent in.

Your pup may have a small scar, but probably his hair will grow back over it and you most likely won't notice it. He should recover pretty quickly, dogs are amazing with how quickly they get over surgery. The most important thing is going to be preventing him from rubbing or itching at the stitches while the incision is still healing.

[Heather719]

My lab, Abby, had a small benign skin tumor on her snout earlier this year. We had it removed surgically and it really was no big deal. We dropped her off in the morning, then picked her up that night. They closed the incision with staples, so we had to make sure Abby didn't scratch at them. They did send us home with an Elizabethian collar- but that didn't go over so well. ;) Abby was on antibiodics for 10 days after surgery, but that wasn't a big deal either.

Here is a pic of Abby- you can see her very small scar (the black spot on the right side of her snout about half way between her nose and her eye):
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwD9Aj4X6IL1cd8k5!cyuh4084u9h5Dgvof94NS32eQvpX4iy JOXqlSPYVPyjJHggFqUNrmQaoSPeFYSoojwqhGY!98SsnHaTzL 93BIooiNZAHigSaz2RQ/P1010030.JPG?dc=4675540493881146741

Good luck!
-Heather

[WestieMomma]

Heather-Abby looks great, it is barely visible. Thanks for the info! The vet already told DH that they will be sending it off to the lab to have it tested just like they did with the tumor that was removed from her stomach.

The tumor on Karsen is right in the area between where the skin and the nostril begins like by the "slit" of the nostril. I should try to take a pic and post it on here.