Histiocytoma

Dear Everett, 

Paisle has a lump. It is the size and color of a pink pencil eraser, and won't go away. She licks at it, chews on it, sniffs at it. While it has not grown, nor is it the angry black and red like your malignant melanoma, it is still scary. 

So we went to see Dr. Doolittle--her first visit to him. The vet she's seen in the past has left the practice, so on to Marshal's doctor! I brought along Ansel, since he is past due for his Bordetella booster, and always likes the treats at the doctor's office. Now Dr. Doolittle has seen all three members of the Crew. (A and P wore their coats, pictured above.)

Other than the shot of liquid up the nose, Ansel was just a bystander for this trip. He kept up his usual song, entertaining the vet techs and the other guests in the reception area, with his constant whining. 

Both pups weighed in--Ansel tips the scale at 58.7 lbs so he is steadily losing weight. He was a constant 60lbs for years! And Paisle, the little fatty, is 55.5 lbs. I did not realize until I reached the house after the trip, that Paisle is only 3lbs shy of passing Ansel! She is still smaller than he is, in frame only (there we go with the frame/attitude again), but it seems so shocking to think that soon Ansel is going to be the smallest of the Crew! Poor Goofy dog. 

Ansel and I waited in the visiting room, while Paisle went in back to donate cells from the lump. 

Paisle's lump is a histiocytoma. Two samples were taken, and without sending the sample out to the lab, that is the best guess given what the microscope revealed. There are many photos of the red cutaneous lump online, none of which are flattering. Histiocytomas are common in young dogs, usually present on the head or feet, and will retreat within a few months. That she chews at it will neither speed along its demise nor encourage it to increase in size, but may increase risk of infection. 

So the good news is the lump is essentially harmless and should go away on its own. The bad news is it is unsightly, and if it becomes infected from her chewing at its convenient location, she'll have to wear a cone. Well, if it has to be removed (mid-February if it has not regressed on its own) she'll have to wear a cone also. We're really hoping it goes away on its own, without infection. Even though she MAY have surgery in her future, we still think it was a good trip to the doctor's office. The lump is just a benign, unsightly, annoyance! Great news!