Lump on the tail

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Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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Hi everyone,

My dog, who's about 4 years old, has a hard lump on the underside of her tail, roughly in the middle. It's about 1cm by 1cm. I took her to the vet to see if they could figure out what it was. She tried a fine-needle aspiration, but nothing came out.

So, it apparently isn't a cyst. I'm not sure if it's getting any bigger; I noticed the lump about 2 weeks ago and there hasn't been much change since then.

My dog isn't in any pain, and she doesn't scratch at it or anything.

According to the vet, the next step is surgery to remove and analyse the lump.

I'm wondering if surgery (and a general anaesthetic) is really necessary?

I've had a look online, but I can't find anyone talking about a hard lump that doesn't have any fluid or a suspicious appearance.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for your replies!

Translated from French
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3 answers
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    Sarahodet Icon representing the flag French
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    Natacha, my dog is showing exactly the same symptoms... did you get an answer??
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    Natacha 71 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone, my 8-year-old dog is having real trouble walking. He’s hardly lifting his back legs when he moves, and he’s struggling to get up and lie down. He’s stopped eating his dry food, so I’ve been making it into a mash to try and get him to eat. He also has a hard lump at the base of his tail that's about 3cm (just over an inch) across. Can anyone help, please? Thank you.
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    ProvetoJuniorConseil
    Provetojuniorconseil Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there,

    The fact that there is no fluid in the new growth does indeed rule out the possibility of a cyst.

    That leaves the possibility of a tumour. Even though that sounds like a scary word, a tumour isn't necessarily life-threatening. If it’s a benign tumour, your dog isn’t in any immediate danger, but it’s still usually recommended to have it removed before it gets too big.

    If it turns out to be a malignant tumour, treatment is more complex, but by no means impossible. The primary tumour would need to be removed first, followed by checks to see if there is any spread (metastasis). If it has spread, you'd then need to look into cancer treatment. Again, while the term is worrying, don't lose hope. Some dogs respond very well to cancer treatments; it all depends on the type of tumour, and your vet will be able to give you more specific advice on this.

    There are several signs that might suggest a malignant tumour: the growth is getting bigger quickly, inflammation, ulceration or necrosis (dead tissue), if the lump feels poorly defined, if there are multiple lumps, or depending on the type of tissue involved...

    However, the only way to get a definitive diagnosis is through histology (looking at the cells from the mass under a microscope). This requires taking a sample from the suspect area, which is done under general anaesthetic. Given that the growth is small and easy to get to, your vet probably wants to kill two birds with one stone by removing the whole thing in one go. That way, they’ll have enough tissue for a full histology report and, if it is malignant, the first part of the treatment is already done. If it turns out to be benign, then the treatment is finished.

    I’d definitely encourage you to have a proper chat with your vet as soon as possible so they can go over the ins and outs of the surgery with you in more detail.

    Have a good day.

    Pierre

    Translated from French

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