Mass Cell Tumour

[Hormonal Filly]

Our lovely 10yo Labrador had a mass cell cancer tumour removed from her front leg last week, just above her Carpus.

The vet did the best she could, but it was aggressive and wrapped around her ligaments in the leg so they couldn't remove all of it.

They sent it to the lab for grading, but they were unable to grade it. They've said there is a lot of papers but based on studies usually they grow back within 190 days, they could try removing it again but it will be messier and more invasive. They've said the only way to totally eradicate it would be removing her leg. Although she is lean and fit, she has bad hips and arthritis so has Galliprant daily, therefore we wouldn't want to opt to remove her front leg.

She was working until last year, cracking peg and picking up dog. She is still full of life bar being a bit stiff.

Has anyone experienced a mass cell tumour on a dogs leg before, what was the prognosis?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'm sorry to say that our Rottweiler had a mast cell tumour at the top of her front leg. Vet removed it, it tested malignant. It didn't come back but aged 6 she was found to have a splenetic tumour which had spread and wrapped round the bowel. She had an emergency operation but was pts in theatre, as it couldn't be removed. If I were in the same position again, I would want to scan at least the spleen while the mast cell tumour was being removed to see if anything else was going on.
I am not prepared to put dogs through chemo and I certainly wouldn't amputate an arthritic dog's leg.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I'm sorry to say that our Rottweiler had a mast cell tumour at the top of her front leg. Vet removed it, it tested malignant. It didn't come back but aged 6 she was found to have a splenetic tumour which had spread and wrapped round the bowel. She had an emergency operation but was pts in theatre, as it couldn't be removed. If I were in the same position again, I would want to scan at least the spleen while the mast cell tumour was being removed to see if anything else was going on.
I am not prepared to put dogs through chemo and I certainly wouldn't amputate an arthritic dog's leg.

So sorry to read about your Rottweiler. They're lovely dogs.

We've paid just over £2,000 so far in the last couple of weeks. She is insured but had 2x lipomas removed last year, not sure if the insurance will say it is pre existing. We've put a claim in, fingers crossed.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

So sorry to read about your Rottweiler. They're lovely dogs.

We've paid just over £2,000 so far in the last couple of weeks. She is insured but had 2x lipomas removed last year, not sure if the insurance will say it is pre existing. We've put a claim in, fingers crossed.

She was lovely. Unfortunately, as a breed, they are prone to cancer, her sister was pts aged 8 with bladder cancer. You have been unlucky with your Lab, though. We have had loads of Labs and not a tumour between them!

 

[Parrotperson]

Had three on tiny jrt. One of them on the v base of her tail. Luckily it was removed without the need to remove her tail but it was touch and go.

There was approx 3 years between tumours. The last one sadly grew in her anus so was inoperable (she was 16 anyway) so PTS.

Good luck. Do what’s best for her. You know your dog x

 

[sarah.oxford]

My dog had one on each shoulder, both removed with clear margins, and one on base of tail, underneath which meant she lost her tail in order to get clear margins.
The tumors were very low grade, and all 3 were within 6 months. She's been okay for over 3 years now.

 

[Rowreach]

My lab had a mast cell tumour on his flank when he was around 8 I think. The vet was fairly sure she hadn't been able to get it all because it was so involved with the muscle fascia, so the prognosis wasn't good. But it never returned, he lived until he was 13 was a happy, bouncy, healthy dog until his hips gave out.

 

[skinnydipper]

Two of my dogs had mast cell tumours.

2006, JRT, 14 years, diagnosed with intermediate Grade II, increased risk of metastasis. Removed surgically followed by a course of radiotherapy. Remained cancer free and was PTS in 2009 due to unrelated illness..

2013, lurcher, 9 years, diagnosed with mast cell, high grade Patnaik grade III. The nodule was narrowly excised (the vet had not expected it to be a mast cell tumour).

I was told it was a very aggressive, highly malignant tumour. Poor prognosis. No chemo.

We were lucky, she had 2/3 years without problem but it eventually returned deep in her shoulder muscle, surgery was not an option. Not PTS at that time as she was not in pain and still enjoying life. She was PTS in 2017 due to the cancer.

 

[oldandgold]

So sorry to be reading this, our last boy who was 12 (Retriever) and fit and still active had one removed from rear hock, the vet couldn't a wide enough margin to be happy and when it was tested came back as malignant, our vet hoped that we would have him for about 6 months. Sadly a week later he collapsed and couldn't stand and very pale gums - got him to the out of hours vet who suspected internal bleeding somewhere she said she could send him home on meds that may help if we insisted but I knew from her tone of voice then that we had to make that awful decision to let him go. Afterwards the vet did say that we had made the right decision, didn't make it any easier though.

Talking to my own vet afterwards he agreed with the path we had taken and did say that we could have opted to remove his leg but he would not have been comfortable doing that. So sorry that I could not have been more positive. Take care

 

[silv]

My labrador had a mast cell tumour on his tail, the vet docked his tail and it was not a problem then 7 years later out of the blue it came back on the stump. he was 13 by then and going blind and deaf so we decided to let him go as it became painful for him and it was difficult to keep him comfortable.
I am sorry about your dog, cancer is so common .

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Thank you all, really helpful to hear your experiences. Xx

 

[oldandgold]

Apologies, lump was on dogs side by rib cage and was very deep - it suddenly grew to about the size of a tennis ball, everything else was the same. The lump on the hock was a benign tumour.

 

[SusieT]

I would request a specialist oncologist opinion at this stage to know what your options are.

 

[AmyMay]

I would request a specialist oncologist opinion at this stage to know what your options are.

It’s what we did with Jack.

 

[Birker2020]

My partners daughter is going through this at the moment with her aged dog.
She has opted not to have chemo and the vet has said that he can't tell what the prognosis really is or how long she might have left but to take her home and enjoy time with her.
She isn't poorly with the assumed cancer although she was a bit down before the pain killers. His daughter will do right by the dog and will know when the time is, to call it a day.

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this OP.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Our staffie x had one age 9, high up on her back leg. We left it and monitored it as she already had 3 legs. It didn't change size and didn't seem to have any adverse affects on her for 3 years after diagnosis. The year after, she did slow down but still enjoyed her walks.

We lost her the end of that year (aged 13) when she ran across the drive to greet me, full of life but fell and broke her leg, on xray it showed a tumour on her bone so she was pts then and there. She'd slowed down in her last year but I've got some lovely photos of her telling the neighbours sheep off (that had escaped in to our garden) the morning she was pts.

 

[EllieBeast]

My Damnation had a mast cell tumour at the age of 8 in 2020, it was at the top of her thigh, above the point of her buttock. It looked like an insect bite and fluctuated in size, I had it aspiration biopsied as it didn’t disappear after a couple of weeks- was totally shocked when it was an MCT!

She has no fat to spare, the vet has to remove a fair amount of muscle to get good margins and it’s left her with a Frankenstein-esq scar but *touches wood* she’s been clear since.

We did have her full body CT scanned prior to surgery, as if she was riddled then I didn’t want her to be operated on. I’d rather her not have to endure the recovery from surgery if it wouldn’t prolong her life significantly.

As it was, she’s a great patient and at 11.5yrs old is still doing well *touches more wood*!

 

[Boulty]

If you want to know your options / would consider chemo / other options then referral to an oncologist would be your best option. Alternatively if not a road you want to go down just make life as good as possible for as long as possible.

Unfortunately if they couldn’t get clean margins then yes it is highly likely to come back but when is a bit of a how long is a piece of string type question.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I would request a specialist oncologist opinion at this stage to know what your options are.

We are waiting on the outcome from the insurance claim, if they will cover or not. We sadly can't afford to fund anything else ourselves right now (paid out over £2k so far in a couple of weeks) but hope to know this week.

Fingers crossed.

Thank you all, really valuable to hear.

 

[EllieBeast]

We are waiting on the outcome from the insurance claim, if they will cover or not. We sadly can't afford to fund anything else ourselves right now (paid out over £2k so far in a couple of weeks) but hope to know this week.

Fingers crossed.

Thank you all, really valuable to hear.

Fingers crossed they’ll cover! As you’ve had a definitive diagnosis for both the lipomas and the MCT they are two totally unrelated things so I can’t see how they could refuse?

 

[AmyMay]

We are waiting on the outcome from the insurance claim, if they will cover or not. We sadly can't afford to fund anything else ourselves right now (paid out over £2k so far in a couple of weeks) but hope to know this week.

Fingers crossed.

Thank you all, really valuable to hear.

If it’s any consolation, Jacks costs at the referral vets were about £700. That was consultation and x-rays. So not a massive amount. However I do appreciate that costs vary across the country.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Fingers crossed they’ll cover! As you’ve had a definitive diagnosis for both the lipomas and the MCT they are two totally unrelated things so I can’t see how they could refuse?

This is what we are hoping.