Last month, Violet the English Staffordshire Bull Terrier presented to Dr Jessica after her owners noticed a lump on the inside of her back leg.
As it began to grow, Violet’s family became worried and they knew it was important to get their girl checked.
Dr Jessica examined the lump and performed an in house test called an FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) which involved putting a needle into the lump and taking a few cell samples from it.
She then took these cells and looked at them under the microscope. What she saw was very concerning.
The cells indicated that Violet’s innocent looking lump, was actually a Mast Cell Tumor – a malignant and aggressive form of cancer.
There was no time to waste and little Violet was booked in to theatre to have it removed.
Dr Jessica carefully excised the lump, ensuring she took extra margins to ensure she removed the lump and any surrounding tissue. The lump was then sent off to our friends at ASAP Laboratory who examined the lump and our margins to ensure all of the cancer had been removed.
Thankfully the results came back as great news!
Dr Jess had successfully removed all the cancer. To ensure it hadn’t spread, samples from Violet’s lymph nodes were also sent to the lab for testing and also came back negative.
Violet is now all healed up and back to her bouncy, food-loving self!
Violet’s story reminds us that even though a lump may look small or has been there for a long time, it is always important to get them checked.
There are many types of lumps and bumps, many of which can be harmless but early diagnosis is always key in treating cases like Violet’s, where the lump could turn very nasty really quickly.
If you have any concerns about lumps on your pet, contact our team today to book an appointment on (03) 8373 0301.
