It is easy to be uncertain about what to do with skin lumps and bumps that appear on our pets. The good news is that this is one area of our pet’s health that we can keep a close tab on, as changes are visible and easy to monitor (unlike internal organ disorders like liver or kidney disease).
About 50% of skin masses in cats and dogs are malignant (cancer that will spread elsewhere in the body). With these types of lumps, it really is a case of “a stitch in time saves nine!” Just as with us and skin cancer, by finding out what the mass is and taking early action, we often stop the cancer there and then, before it has had a chance to spread more widely.
Our vets are all skilled in cytology – which means that we can take a sample in the consult room and look at it under a microscope straight away, giving you an immediate idea as to what the mass is, without having to send the sample out to an external laboratory , saving expense and time. During the month of June we shall be discounting this process even further by not charging for in house cytology for any lumps and bumps. So, now is the best time ever to get those suspect lumps looked at.
Generally, a good rule of thumb is: