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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / January 2004Mast Cell Tumor
Yesterday we had a mast cell tumor removed from the rear ham of our 9 year old German Shorthair. It was subcu, attached to the skin and sitting on but not invading the muscle below it. There are so many different opinions on the internet about this type of tumor, I'm not sure who to listen to. We live in South Dakota, so radiation is not much of an option according to the vet. Is there any advice out there about how we should proceed. It is very difficult to do what our vet said which is to wait and see if it grows back. Seems like there should be more that can be done before that happens. Thanks......Barb *Yesterday we had a mast cell tumor removed from the rear ham of our 9 year *old German Shorthair. It was subcu, attached to the skin and sitting on but *not invading the muscle below it. There are so many different opinions on *the internet about this type of tumor, I'm not sure who to listen to. We *live in South Dakota, so radiation is not much of an option according to the *vet. Is there any advice out there about how we should proceed. It is very *difficult to do what our vet said which is to wait and see if it grows back. *Seems like there should be more that can be done before that happens. The proper plan of action depends on the grade of the tumor and whether the margins were clear. You need to wait for the pathology report (surely you don't have it back one day postop??) to find out what the grade is, and whether the margins were clear, and then your vet can advise you how to proceed.  Signaturehillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net info@hillary.net "uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est." not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large :) Hillary, Thanks for taking the time to respond. No we don't have the path report back yet. Problem is, the vet said his course of action wouldn't be dependent on the report. He didn't even care if we had the sample sent in or not. It sounds like he would recommend prednisone only IF the tumor returned. That is why I am looking on my own for some other treatment plans. > *Yesterday we had a mast cell tumor removed from the rear ham of our 9 year > *old German Shorthair. It was subcu, attached to the skin and sitting on but [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > and whether the margins were clear, and then your vet can advise you how > to proceed. *Hillary, Thanks for taking the time to respond. No we don't have the path *report back yet. Problem is, the vet said his course of action wouldn't be *dependent on the report. He didn't even care if we had the sample sent in or *not. It sounds like he would recommend prednisone only IF the tumor *returned. That is why I am looking on my own for some other treatment plans. Oh. That's a bit of a surprise. Well, if you're looking for more information, how about this: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=189&A=1600&S=1 Signaturehillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net info@hillary.net "uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est." not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large :) Problem is, the vet said his course of action wouldn't be > dependent on the report. He didn't even care if we had the sample sent in or > not. It sounds like he would recommend prednisone only IF the tumor > returned. ........Sigh, well at least I hope he is savvy enough to have taken a good margin around the tumor. http://www.hammocksvet.com/NewsArticles/PTCancer.htm Please ask your vet for a copy of the histopathology report when it comes in. Then find a vet who is at least semi-interested in pursuing options with you. Mast Cell Tumors: Hot New Diagnostics and Treatment! Gregory K. Ogilvie, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology) Professor and Head of Medical Oncology, Animal Cancer Center, Colorado State University Ft. Collins, CO, USA http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002&PID=2637&Catego ry=421 Gulf Coast Veterinary Clinic (sort of a Mayo Clinic for cancer) Click on Our Best Protocols: http://www.gcvs.com/oncology/pwc/index.htm Lots of cancer links here, including links to email cancer lists: http://www.bowchow.com/specific.html Best of luck to you and your pup buglady take out the dog before replying Buglady, Thanks so much for all of the information you provided. I will spend the day tomorrow looking and learning. Will let you know what we are looking at when the path report comes back. > Problem is, the vet said his course of action wouldn't be > > dependent on the report. He didn't even care if we had the sample sent in [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > University > Ft. Collins, CO, USA http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002&PID=2637&Catego > ry=421 > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > buglady > take out the dog before replying Hi Barb, Mast cell tumors can be innocuous or they can be deadly. TIME is the most important factor in dealing with them, should it turn out the tumor was grade two or higher. If you have a veterinary teaching hospital nearby, you might consider taking your dog for an exam should the report come back with either undefined margins (meaning they didn't get all the MC "tenticles") or that your vet removed a grade 2 or 3 MCT. Figure it this way, if you spend money now for a solid thorough exam and blood workup, you'll know exactly what you're dealing with and you can make decisions based on reality, rather than guesses. If it turns out your dog may need chemo or radiation or more surgery, you might have time on your side. Like any other cancer, if you catch MCT cancer early enough, your dog has a fighting chance to beat it. As you've probably read by now, a grade 1 tumor is not for major concern but it IS a cancer "heads up" - meaning you should regularly check your dogs body for growths. Actually it's good for EVERYONE to check their companions for growths or odditys. But when you've actually found something and it's been removed and everyone breaths a sigh of relief, its still good to stay on watch and check as that one has increased the possibility that more may develop as time passes. Good luck. .....Found your new family member(s) yet? Have you checked out the Senior Dog Project site for oldsters needing homes? http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/needhomes.ads.fr.html buglady take out the dog before replying > .....Found your new family member(s) yet? Have you checked out the Senior > Dog Project site for oldsters needing homes? > http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/needhomes.ads.fr.html > > buglady > take out the dog before replying Thank you for the recommendation. I've been actively trying to find the right dog for Petunia and us. We're pretty easy. She's not. She's dominant, smart and she's VERY strong physically, which means brutal fights if she gets pissed and the other dog doesn't let up. She really didn't seem to trust adult dogs anymore when we took her to meet a couple. But we happened to find the right one: a puppy we've named Poppy because calling her puppy was about all we could think of being that she's the epitome of a dopey crazy puppy. You can tell I have a new puppy because I don't have the time to come online lately. She's a hound/shep mix - really spectacular with a winning personality. She and Petunia are the best of friends, gnawing on each other morning noon and night. Now I've been offered another puppy....a boxer mix. I'm tempted but the final vote is with my husband. What the hell...we're doing housebreaking now, and the Pop is going to get it quickly. Plus I'm here all day. The poop accumulation factor is about the only drawback to my husband right now. That, and distracting any live in puppy from eating the house up whole. I never thought I'd go for a puppy, but this whole dog politics thing was just too much to deal with for her AND for us. We've already been down that path with Oliver and Petunia. Who's on first, what's on second, who gets the first bone, who gets petted, who sits next to who, who gets out the door...it's daunting and it all MEANS something to her. So we took the easy route and went for the puppy who is happy just being alive. :) > But we happened to find the right one: a puppy we've named Poppy because > calling her puppy was about all we could think of being that she's the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > She and Petunia are the best of friends, gnawing on each other morning > noon and night. Now I've been offered another puppy....a boxer mix. .......Great! Post an url to a pix sometime! I'm so happy for you. buglady take out the dog before replying > Yesterday we had a mast cell tumor removed from the rear ham of our 9 year > old German Shorthair. It was subcu, attached to the skin and sitting on but [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > -- Depending upon exactly where you are in S. Dakota, you are probably less than a days drive to Colorado State University Veterinary School in Ft. Collins. They've done a huge amount of work with cancer. Something to consider anyway. |
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