My dog/cat has a lump, what should I do ?

If your dog or cat has a lump that you’re concerned about it is bets to visit your vet. However, it is important to know that your vet cannot tell you what sort of lump your pet has by just looking at it and feeling it. I always like to communicate this to my pet owners as soon as possible and give options on how we can better understand what the lump may be. The least invasive option i routinely offer is a fine needle aspirate (FNA). This is where you put a needle into the lump and attempt to harvest some cells from within the lump. I they transfer the cells from my needle onto a microscope slide to send away to a lab for analysis by a pathologist. Occasionally this type of sample can come back inconclusive which means an owner spends “£x” and has no further information. The other option is to consider an incisional biopsy. This is where your pet goes under a general anaesthetic and has part of the lump taken away for analysis. Some owners prefer to go straight to removal instead of this option due to the possibility of a second surgery being required if it comes back as something more sinister eg cancer. However, it is important to be aware that if a lump is removed before understanding what type of lump it is, and it is indeed cancerous, the correct margins may not be taken. Margins are an area around the lump which we also remove in hope that we get a clear edge of no cancerous cells to confirm complete removal.