Grace Has A Lump

[graciepup]

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A couple of days ago I noticed a lump between Graces shoulder blades.So off to the vet again The vet thinks it may be a fibrosarcoma which is an agressive form of cancer.He says it is rare in dogs, it is caused by an injection.The lump is at the site of her last injection(antibiotic for severed tendon).He says to wait and see if it grows incase it is just a reaction to the injection not a tumor.But I feel that if it was a reaction it would have come up almost straight after the jab not 4 weeks later.I am devastated as Grace is only 4years old next week.The lump is about thumb nail size but I am sure its grown already.I feel that the sooner it is removed the better the chance of survival.Has anyone else ever had this with their dog?I dont normally hesitate but want to do whats best for Grace.She is my little o and im not ready to lose her yet.

 

[Roedeane]

How awful to have this news, but try to be positive and hope it will be nothing serious, :luck: :luck: with the results

 

[dana]

aww babe im so sorry! im keeping my fingers crossed for u and grace :huggles:

 

[Rae]

So sorry to hear about Grace.

Has the vet actually done any tests to confirm the suspicion? If it is rare, then it is unlikely, so try not to get too worried until you have a firm diagnosis.

Can't they do a biopsy, or remove the lump and see what it is?

:luck: to Grace and :huggles: to you both.

Stay positive :luck:

 

[hellybobs]

Sorry to hear about Grace...sending her lots of :huggles:

I'd go back to the vet and ask him to do some tests to confirm this diagnosis...cos I think its a bit harsh of him to tell you this and then ask you to wait and see what happens.

By going back and having these tests will at least stop all the uncertainty.

Hope Grace is ok and please try not to worry (easy to do I know) but nothing has been confirmed either way.

 

[EJW]

Sorry to hear about Grace :huggles:

My boy Hero developed a lump like this at the injection site a few weeks after he was castrated. It did grow & eventually pushed to the the surface, forming a huge scab.

When the scab came off there was quite a deep hole underneath. It healed perfectly although he has a small bald spot there now. This happened when he was 4 & now he is 7. I didn't take him to the vet, my Homeopath told me it was nothing to worry about & that it was a reaction to the injection.

I hope your Grace's lump turns out to be something similar :luck: :luck: :huggles:

 

[Kirawan]

I had this happen with one of my whippets in the past.

It was nothing to worry about -

When dogs are injected between the shoulder blades (which is the normal place for the majority of injections) - this can result in a lump.

Worth bearing in mind that it is a good idea to massage the area following injections, as this willl often stop it occuring.

Hopefully it is 'just' a reaction the injection in which case, apart from simply 'being there' it should cause no problems.

If it is not tender, then you could try gently massaging it even now, and it may disperse.

To be honest... the one on my whippet never did disappear, but it did not bother her... and I have learned now to ALWAYS massage the area gently because it can be very sore after an injection.

If you do get the vet to aspirate it and find that it is nothing sinister - it will put your mind at rest.

I think that because whippets have short smooth coats, we notice any slight lump and bump, whereas with ordinary dogs who have thicker and hairier coats it is not so obvious.

Best of luck for Gracie - it is a worry when you are not sure.

 

[~elizabeth~]

I had this happen with one of my whippets in the past.It was nothing to worry about -

When dogs are injected between the shoulder blades (which is the normal place for the majority of injections) - this can result in a lump.

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I think my cat had one too after her vaccination.

:huggles: It's horrible when there's something wrong and you don't know :unsure: :huggles:

 

[graciepup]

Sorry to hear about Grace :huggles: My boy Hero developed a lump like this at the injection site a few weeks  after he was castrated. It did grow & eventually pushed to the the surface, forming a huge scab.

When the scab came off there was quite a deep hole underneath. It healed perfectly although he has a small bald spot there now. This happened when he was 4 & now he is 7. I didn't take him to the vet, my Homeopath told me it was nothing to worry about & that it was a reaction to the injection.

I hope your Grace's lump turns out to be something similar :luck:   :luck:   :huggles:

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Thankyou for that :thumbsup: I hope this is something similar too.Can you remember how long it took to reach the surface??Thankyou everyone for your kind comments.I think the vet was a bit hurried in his decision without any evidence to support this!!Grace is fine in herself,eating running and doing what whippets do so I will give her a few days and take it from there.I will update as soon as I know anything :thumbsup:

 

[EJW]

Sorry to hear about Grace :huggles: My boy Hero developed a lump like this at the injection site a few weeks  after he was castrated. It did grow & eventually pushed to the the surface, forming a huge scab.

When the scab came off there was quite a deep hole underneath. It healed perfectly although he has a small bald spot there now. This happened when he was 4 & now he is 7. I didn't take him to the vet, my Homeopath told me it was nothing to worry about & that it was a reaction to the injection.

I hope your Grace's lump turns out to be something similar :luck:   :luck:   :huggles:

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Thankyou for that :thumbsup: I hope this is something similar too.Can you remember how long it took to reach the surface??Thankyou everyone for your kind comments.I think the vet was a bit hurried in his decision without any evidence to support this!!Grace is fine in herself,eating running and doing what whippets do so I will give her a few days and take it from there.I will update as soon as I know anything :thumbsup:

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I can't remember for sure but when I first noticed it it was small & hard. This must have been 3-4 weeks after his castration. He was castrated in early February & I think it had grown & pushed to the surface & formed a hard black top by April which then got knocked off leaving the hole beneath.

I too usually massage the site straight after an injection, but on this ocasion I was unable to as the vet nurse had already taken him upstairs. :thumbsup:

 

[~whitecross whippets~]

so sorry ...hope everything is ok :luck: :huggles:

 

[OEH]

I am so sorry to hear this, Tess had a lump between her shoulder blades after an injection a few years ago. Similar timing, and it went down of its own accord, I hope Grace's is similar :luck: :huggles:

 

[Janimal]

Sorry to hear about Grace. I hope all goes well at the vets - good Luck. :luck: :luck:

 

[Trish]

sorry to hear about grace,wishing all the luck in the world. :luck:

 

[BeeJay]

I've had some of my dogs react to being vaccinated by developing a lump.

I'm confused as to how your vet knows what it is without having got the results of a biopsy.

My Ol'Rosie had a lump removed (lymphoma) removed from between her shoulder blades. She actually had them removed from all over her body on two seperate occasions (she had a lot of them). She lived till she was 17.5 years.

 

[wild whippies]

My dog Nell had a lump directly inbetween her shoulder blades. It wasn't related to a vaccination jab and it was a fixed lesion. Because it was fixed to her spine I took her the vets, they asked me several times about microchips but she hadn't had one so I knew it wasn't that. The vets like myself feared it could be cancerous (due to it being a fixed lesion with no history of trauma) but because of her age (2 years old) we also felt it was unlikely but of course we just didn't know. We scheduled an op date and in the weeks that followed it increased in size but if did soften which led to us thinking it was more of a cystic nature.

Anyhow with the doubts she went under the knife (I also got pre op blood tests done incase they would be of relevance if the untoward happened) the lesion turned out to be just fibrous tissue encased in a fatty layer. We chose not to send it off to pathology because cancerous tissue is pretty distinctive in both it's texture and also it's invasive nature (I work with Oral cancers) and this definately was not one.

In some ways I can understand why your vet is opting for a ''wait and see'' option but obviously they need to discuss their reasons with yourself so that your reassured. ( I was out my mind over the fortnight I had to wait and I'd be hysterical if some mentioned a specific carcinoma) If I was you, I'd ring them up and tell them how anxious you are. Ask them why they feel it's possible for it to be a carcinoma? Would a regular full blood count test be beneficial in the interim? If they do feel it's a cancerous lesion, is it possible by deferring surgical intervention now that it could become more invasive? and any other questions that you can think of. Don't be put off, your a caring owner and your vet should respect that.

If your not happy, I would either ask the vet themselves about a second opinion or seek another one yourself. I don't know how experienced your vet is but my own experience with young doctors is that they can panic and think the worse.

Sorry for the long reply but I just remember how distressed I was when I found Nells lump and I sincerely wish that your dogs lump is just an inflammatory reaction and nothing more. :luck: :luck: :luck:

:huggles: :huggles: for Gracie and you.

 

[jue332]

So sorry to hear about Grace fingers crossed and loads of luck everything turns out ok :luck: :luck: :luck: :luck:

 

[Lanakeshena]

I was going to say maybe get a 2nd opinion.

Bet of Luck :luck: with Grace :huggles:

 

[alfie]

My Lurcher Nellie had an injection to stop her season years ago (would never do that again!)

Some weeks later I noticed a hard lump between her shoulder blades, which turned out to be a reaction to the injection.

It stayed for a couple of years I think, before just disappearing.

I too would be frantic having to just 'wait and see'- I think I would ask my vet if they could do some tests or a biopsy to find out more.

Good luck :luck: I hope it turns out to be nothing.

Liz and the Monellis