Mast Cell Tumors?

dachshunds4me

dachshunds4me

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I found what I am 99% sure is a MCT on my parent's Mini Schnauzer's back.
I can't get him in with the one vet until next Monday (a week from today) to get it removed.
Should I get him in sooner to another place??
I gave them Benadryl for AM and PM for the dog (can't hurt anyway) to see if it helped at all, in the meantime.
 
Why do you think it is a mast cell tumor? It is really hard to tell a MCT from a lipoma (or a nerve sheath tumor). They feel the same and sometimes lipomas can grow pretty quickly.
 
Oh Hankster, we have a rescue and I've seen them and dealt with them. A lipoma is not a bald/hairless tumor sticking out the side of the dog's fur, in fact usually they are under the fur and you can't see them. The one vet even stated that any hairless tumor must be considered a MCT until proven otherwise.
Google "mast cell tumor" and you'll see what I mean (it's red/shiny and sticks out of the fur as opposed to covered with fur).

Thanks Jess, I'll keep an eye on the thing (as good as I can considering they are 40 miles from here) until we can get it taken off, we have an appt. for next Monday but am thinking of taking him to our own vet (instead of the other one we use for rescue) and can't get him in until Friday there :-/
 
dachshunds4me said:
Thanks Jess, I'll keep an eye on the thing (as good as I can considering they are 40 miles from here) until we can get it taken off, we have an appt. for next Monday but am thinking of taking him to our own vet (instead of the other one we use for rescue) and can't get him in until Friday there :-/
Click to expand...

Honestly, with Mast Cell Tumors, getting it removed is not that big of a hurry. Mind you, I only have experience from MCT on ferrets, not dogs. However, an animal is an animal, and a MCT is a MCT, right? Rascal has had one... I never got it removed. Just put hydrocortisone cream on it twice a day to stop the itching, and eventually I even just pulled it off. :rofl1: That was what the rescue had been doing, and what the expert of them suggested.
 
I know a lot of people do not agree that having MCTs removed asap is important, but I know that at least in a lot of pit bulls, MCTs left undealt with, can turn into serious cancer that spreads fast and can kill a dog.

Ella had an MCT and I'm glad I had it removed when I did since it came back a stage II.

But being as I lost Ella to cancer, no health issue will EVER be treated lightly in my home.:(
 
Chewbecca said:
I know a lot of people do not agree that having MCTs removed asap is important, but I know that at least in a lot of pit bulls, MCTs left undealt with, can turn into serious cancer that spreads fast and can kill a dog.

Ella had an MCT and I'm glad I had it removed when I did since it came back a stage II.

But being as I lost Ella to cancer, no health issue will EVER be treated lightly in my home.:(
Click to expand...

Of course, this just reminded me the big difference. Ferrets, MCT are NEVER cancerous.
 
Chewbecca said:
I know a lot of people do not agree that having MCTs removed asap is important, but I know that at least in a lot of pit bulls, MCTs left undealt with, can turn into serious cancer that spreads fast and can kill a dog.

Ella had an MCT and I'm glad I had it removed when I did since it came back a stage II.

But being as I lost Ella to cancer, no health issue will EVER be treated lightly in my home.:(
Click to expand...

I know, Rebecca...well I spoke to the vet who will be removing it today and she thinks it can wait until next Friday, I talked to my brother last night and it does seem a little smaller with the administration of Benadryl (am and pm) so I told them to check it often but not poke or prod it, and we'll do the surgery next week.
I'd like to get him in sooner but I want to see the vet who is doing it (a week from Friday) and not the one who can see him sooner...sigh...
 
How big is it? Sure its not an ingrown hair?

Kiba had a histiocytoma on her side, was the size of a large mosquito bite but was out of the skin and hairless (she's a schnauzer which is why I'm bringing this up).
 
Our vet said if the dog is under 2 it's a histiocytoma and over 7 usually is the MCT.
I haven't seen it since the day they brought him out, I have an appt. next Friday and our vet said with the administration of Benadyl, the dog should be fine until then.
 
Update - he had surgery and they made an 8" incision in a zig zag pattern trying to get all the little tumors he had growing alongside that big honking one.
She is certain it is MCTs but of course they were sent off for pathology.
It was a mess. He smelled like blood when I picked him up :(
I'm glad, in a way, my folks aren't here to see it (they are still packing in Alabama) as they aren't good with stuff like this.
And I don't know his prognosis until we get pathology back.
Either way, it is a mess.
 
Thanks...he's my folks' dog but either way. I hope he does okay.
Their other Mini Schnauzer has been dx'ed with congestive heart failure so it's already going to very sad for them very soon :(
 
Well you won't believe this!
After making that humongous incision (I should have gotten pics!) the dog is fine and it was a histio after all! The vet was amazed but happy, said she got it all so it should not come back.
Whew!
 
Did they ever do a skin scraping? Kiba had one and she was 4/5 years old, but she had a scraping of it done and it was gone in 3 months (which is normal for histiocytomas).
 
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