Hi. My black lab pup, Kai, is now 9 months old, happy and boisterous. He has developed a small white lump on his shoulder which looks a bit scabby,caused maybe by scratching or catching it on something. but it doesn't seem to bother him and isn't painful. I took him to the vet who gave a very mixed diagnosis but called it a tumour for want of a better word. She said it could be something that just disappears on its own. It could be benign or malignant. it could grow bigger and become an issue. She said that she could draw off fluid and get that sent away for analysis, but often the results come back unclear either way. Also this could result in the lump bleeding and may cause it to be infected. Lastly she said the lump could be removed, just to be sure that no later problems occur. The operation could cost in the region of £650 which isn't so much the issue, but still has to be part of the consideration. We intend to wait another week to see if there is any change, but I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who has been through this, as I'm told it is quite common in Labradors.
Re: A lump on shoulder Hi Jane. it might be something called a histiocytoma? if it is, it is a tumour but not a malign one as far as I know. I think our Lilly has one too ( at least had one, seemed to go, now back :-\ ) our vet says removing them when small is better for some but depends on where they are and how much skin needs removed to get a good healing wound. Lilly' is on her ankle area. keeping an eye on it is probably worthwhile.....but go with your vet's advice for definite.
Re: A lump on shoulder I would be going with removal if it's a simple thing to take out. Better to be safe early on before it gets bigger and harder to remove. That would be my gut feeling anyway. Have no specific knowledge though
Re: A lump on shoulder I haven't got any experience to help you out with this...based on what you've written though I'd be reading up,on heck and all to get myself really equipped with info....my natural instinct would be to get anything sorted out quickly with Dexter before it got worse but in something like this you have the consideration of a GA.... Keep in touch with us about what you decide .....
Re: A lump on shoulder Ultimately a lump is a lump until it is taken off and given a definitive diagnosis by a pathologist. However, in a 9 month old dog the balance of probability would be that it is a histiocytoma. These can grow rapidly and look nasty but are benign and most commonly self-limiting, frequently disappearing within 6-8 weeks. For me the decision would be that if it is easily removed with plenty of skin around for wound closure I'd probably whip it off one of my own dogs, but if it was on the ears/paws (frequent sites for a histiocytoma) and likely to cause scarring to remove i'd adopt a careful watch and wait for 3-4 weeks and see if it started to regress spontaneously. Hope it starts to disappear soon for Kai.
Re: A lump on shoulder Hi all. Many thanks for your replies. I have taken on board all your advice and will keep a close eye on the lump in the next couple of weeks and decide what to do. I think we will opt for removal unless it decides to be noticeably disappearing on its own. On a lighter note, the vet said after the operation, due to the position of the offending article, a cone of shame would not be appropriate as it would rub on the wound. So she recommended a TShirt!!! Not sure what he will make of that, and whether he will try to tear it off. if it comes to that I will try to post a pic. I have tried tot before but my pictures seem to be too big and i'm not sure how to resize. Thanks again
