Skin tumors are the most commonly seen tumors in canines and cats. This kind of tumor is diagnosed more often than other tumors in animals because they can be easily seen and partly because the skin is always bare to lots of tumor-causing elements in the environment. Solar radiations, chemicals, and viruses are some of the things that cause skin tumors. Hormone abnormalities and hereditary factors also contribute to developing skin tumors. Let us know more about this condition and how your veterinary doctor will treat them.
Types of Common Skin Tumors
Basal Cell Tumors
This tumor is usually benign in dogs and cats and is present on the head, ears, and neck. These tumors look like solitary, firm, dome-shaped elevated masses, usually ulcerated or hairless. The lumps stand out like stalks from the skin surface area. They are different in size, from less than 0.4 inches to more than 4 inches in diameter, and often dark in color. Although benign, they can be large and cause extensive ulceration and secondary redness; they can also break the skin, leading to the death of skin tissue, and drain pus.
These tumors are not normally bothersome, but they run the risk of self-trauma and infection if they occur in an area that can be chewed or scratched. Your pet shouldn’t be allowed to scratch, bite, or lick these areas. Additionally, these tumors might grow without surgery, making surgical removal harder, which is why it’s best to have your vet surgeon examine any abnormal growths or bumps as quickly as you notice them. Less than 10% of basal cell tumors are malignant in research studies.
Histiocytomas
This tumor can usually be seen in younger dogs and felines, less than 3 1/2 years old; it can also happen at any age, and it can be seen mainly in the head, ears, and limbs. The tumors look raised, solitary, usually hairless, occasionally several skin nodules or plaques, and sometimes ulcerated lumps that are movable.
Diagnosis is through the microscopic test for samples of the tumor cells from the fine needle biopsy. They’re considered ugly by most owners’ standards, these masses are benign, and whenever left without treatment, they will still resolve within two to three months or less. It is considered a highly treatable skin mass. Your vets in Douglasville GA will confirm this tumor’s diagnosis and proper treatment.
Lipomas and Liposarcomas
These tumors are benign tumors of fat and are common in dogs and felines. Many lipomas combine with healthy fat tissue next to them, making it hard to determine the edges of the tumors. Fine-needle aspiration is needed to exclude other tumors that mimic lipomas, such as mast cell tumors.
An animal owner shouldn’t disregard lipomas even if they are benign. Some tend to grow, and they might be indistinguishable from infiltrative lipomas or liposarcomas. Surgical removal can be a treatment for this. In addition, dietary limitations like weight loss will be recommended several weeks before surgical treatment to make it not difficult for the surgeon to identify the tumor’s edges and remove it all.
These illnesses can be prevented when you are mindful of your animal’s health as a pet owner. Pet wellness plans are essential, and so is a yearly physical check-up for the early detection of health problems that will help to ensure a healthy life for your family pet.
