tumors

my poor vizla is getting on and the vets in argentina are not great,she was last year opperated on to remove a tumor wich they didnt bother to find out what it was as when i went back the had thrown it in the bin. i have found another growing out of a teat.i will take her to the vets but if they want to operate im not sure what to say,not only is she getting too old,how much will she suffer if they dont.need a bit of advice

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Hello ratt1,

Can they perform a needle biopsy (also known as a fine needle aspirate) and have the sample analysed by a veterinary pathologist?  This form of biopsy is not surgical, can be performed without anesthesia, and is relatively inexpensive.

It the results of the biopsy inform you that the mass is benign than there is no reason to go further.  If is is a malignant cancerous growth, however,  at least you will know from the biopsy results.  

There are many different types of cancers.  Some are malignant, which means that they can spread all over the body, and others are locally invasive, which means that removing them will end the spread.  Of course, there are many other possibilities also.  If it turns out that the tumor is the bad kind that spreads, than X-Rays of your dogs chest should be performed prior to contemplating surgery.  If the cancer has already spread to her chest then surgery will probably not be an option unless chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy would also be part of the regimen.  

There are holistic anti-cancer options also if you would like to forego the traditional options.  Please post again if you would like a list of holistic anti-cancer therapies.  I would be glad to list them for you, along with anti-cancer diets.   Many of the holistic treatments are available online without a prescription.