Ponsonby Tails - June 2009
Friday, Jun 5, 2009
Most animals will develop some lumps or bumps during their lifetime, especially as they get older. These lumps will start small and inconspicuous and initially may cause no problem for your pet, but they continue to grow steadily. Many lumps are benign and are easily treated. However 30% of these lumps will be cancerous (malignant) and require treatment or removal to prevent them spreading. Early diagnosis and treatment remains our best defense against tumours, so it is important to get those lumps checked early.
For the month of June, Ponsonby Vet Centre is running a "Lumps and Bumps" promotion. Bring in your pet for a check up of any unusual growths and save 20% off consultation, lab fees and treatment for those lumps! Conditions apply.
What Should I Be Looking For?
The skin in the most common area for tumours to occur in dogs and the second most common area in cats. Therefore you the owner are often the first to notice an unusual lump or bump on your pet. Some lumps may be red and itchy, some are firm, some are soft. Most are not painful and your pet may not even be aware that they are there. However any lump that persists for longer than 2 weeks, is growing larger or is bothering your pet should be evaluated by a veterinarian.
Tumours are most common in older pets, but can occur at any age. For instance histiocytomas are a common tumour in young dogs, usually about 1 year old. Common sites for skin tumours include the flanks or around the eyes and these tumours are easily noticed. However some other 
common sites are not so obvious - including the teats (mammary glands) in females, around the bottom and inside the mouth. Checking these spots regularly is the best way to catch these tumours early. Tumours inside the mouth are particularly notorious for being malignant and are often overlooked until the tumour is very large or your pet stops eating. Surgical removal of oral tumours can be very difficult. Therefore a regular check of your pet's mouth can be life saving!
What Will The Vet Do?
Questions!
The first thing we will do is ask how long the lump has been present and if it seems to be growing. Benign lumps often stop growing while still small while cancerous lumps will typically continue to grow. A history of having other tumours removed may also be important.
Examination!
We will examine the lump as well as check for any other lumps or enlargement of the lymph glands. We can tell a lot about a lump by how firm it is and if it is freely movable or attached to deeper tissues. However there is only one way to be 100% certain if the lump is benign or cancerous and that is to submit a sample to the lab.
Diagnosis!
Accurate diagnosis of a skin lump requires a sample of the tissue be sent to a laboratory to be examined by a pathologist. This sample can be obtained by a fine needle aspirate or a biopsy. A fine needle aspirate (FNA) involves gently inserting a small needle into the lump and aspirating some of the cells. This is a very quick procedure and, due to the small needle used, is less painful than the annual vaccination! Most animals hardly notice an FNA. An FNA will give us the correct diagnosis about 70% of the time.
When an FNA is insufficient to give a diagnosis, a biopsy is performed to provide a larger piece of tissue for analysis. If the lump is small the entire lump can be removed, allowing us to diagnose and treat the lump in a single step. An accurate diagnosis then allows us to determine the best course of treatment. A benign lump can be easily removed whereas a cancerous lump should have a wide excision to minimise the chance of recurrence. It also allows us to decide if any further treatment will be required to stop the lump returning or spreading to other parts of the body.
Team Member: Kate McCartin 
Kate is a fully qualified vet nurse originally from Taihape. After completing her training she moved to Auckland with her Yorkshire Terrier cross Lily to join the team here at Ponsonby Vets. Her time is shared between reception and nursing duties.
