Tumor Removal Consultations
Before we can give you an exact quote, we need to figure out what type of tumor your pet has. This decides whether or not surgery is necessary, as well as what the tumor means for the health of your pet.
Bumps, Lumps and Cancers
Not all tumors or masses need to be removed. For example, as pets get older, it’s perfectly normal for them to develop fatty tumors (lipomas). We see many pets with masses that are completely benign and don’t need to be removed unless they’re physically uncomfortable (for example, a large tumor on the leg might limit the dog’s ability to walk).
However, unfortunately, cancer is extremely common in dogs. Cancer is the most common cause of death for older dogs. Tumors can be a sign that your pet has cancer, but dogs can also get lumps and bumps that don’t mean anything at all.
The most common types of tumors or masses that we see include:
-
Mast Cell Tumors. Most common in short-faced dogs such as boxers, french bulldogs, or pugs. Mast cell tumors are usually itchy and red. They can cause discomfort but are not necessarily malignant.
-
Lipomas. A benign and common type of tumor, lipomas are masses underneath the skin. They’re typically soft and harmless.
-
Cysts. Cysts are different from tumors, in that they’re sacs filled with some material such as air or fluid. (Whereas tumors are just abnormal tissue masses). We also provide biopsies to determine if cysts are benign or malignant.
During your consultation, we try to give you an idea of what type of tumor your pet has, and what that means for your pet. We may also recommend histopathology, where we send in a bit of tissue from the tumor into a lab, to get more information about the tumor. Generally, we recommend doing this after the tumor removal surgery, in order to avoid excess expense and having the pet under anesthesia more than necessary (placement and other factors play into this as well).
How Much Does Mass Removal Cost?
The price of tumor and mass removal in dogs and cats depends on the location of the mass. It also depends on the type of mass, what we think it is, the condition of the pet, and your pet’s situation. Because of these factors, we can’t provide an estimate without seeing your pet.
We have seen many pets for tumor and mass removals, and are here to help.
How Much Will Surgery Cost For My Pet?
We see a huge variety of cases when it comes to tumors & masses. For example, we have removed tumors almost 1/4 the size of some pets or the size of a leg on a pet! Others can be smaller, such as smaller paw growths that we have removed. Placement matters a lot too for example, tumors coming from areas with more blood vessels, like the mammary glands, can take more time to remove than from the back.
The type of tumor is also important. Finally, the pet’s general health, condition, and well-being need to be taken into consideration. All of these reasons are why we recommend coming in for a tumor removal consultation first.
We price tumor removal surgeries primarily off of the time the surgery will take. However, this varies due to the tumor’s size and where it is.
Our surgery consultations are no obligation. They’re meant to provide you with information, and also an option for your pet’s mass removal. First, we’ll discuss your pet’s mass, then provide an estimate.
Scheduling The Surgery Consult
The first step when looking into tumor removal surgery is scheduling a surgery consult. This consultation with an experienced veterinarian allows you to:
-
Meet Dr. Hollenbach and team who will be working with your pet
-
Learn more about what surgery is required and what that involves
-
Get comfortable with the veterinary hospital environment
-
Get an estimate for how much the surgery will cost
-
Schedule the surgery
-
Surgery consults might also allow the Dr. Hollenbach team to recommend alternatives to surgery, or provide other needed care if the mass or tumor is causing secondary health issues.
At Northwest Animal Hospital, we offer surgery consults. This is an important step so we can meet you and your pet, talk about the surgery, and provide an estimate for surgery.
Questions To Ask During Your Consult
What is required before surgery?
We will require a consultation and diagnostic workup such as bloodwork, X-rays, or other care prior to or during surgery. Make sure that you understand what the estimate includes, and if there are extra services that are mandatory that are not on the estimate. At Northwest Animal Hospital, we require pets to be up to date on all vaccinations and have a recent heartworm test within 30 days of their surgery.
What are the potential risks?
In order to make an educated decision, you need to know all possible risks. Every surgery comes with potential complications, but some can be worse than others. We have to consider factors such as where your pet’s tumor or mass is located; how old your pet is; how long they’ll be under anesthesia; their medical history or other underlying conditions. All of these can make surgery more or less risky, and we want to talk to you about those potential risks so you know you’re making the best decision for your pet.
Growth/Tumor Removal Services Available
Bloodwork
Cytology
Fine Needle Aspiration
Surgical Mass Removal
Tumor Biopsy
Urinalysis
X-Rays