First Mast Cell Tumor

In March 2010 (age 4) at Stella's routine yearly check-up for shots and heartworm testing we asked our vet to check out the "goober" on her front right leg - I am in the habit of referring to the front legs as "arms" and will do so hence forth.  We had noticed this spot at least two years prior but thought it was just a mole.  It was black, flat, and smooth with no hair growth.  It didn't bother her in the least even when we rubbed it trying to determine if it was raised at all.  We somehow thought if it was raised that would indicate something bad.  When we took her for her annual check-up that day we pointed it out to the vet because we had recently noticed that it appeared to be larger in size - or had it just grown as she grew in size?

The vet took a quick look at it and said "I bet it's a Mast Cell Tumor".  Aspiration of this spot indicated it was a MCT.  The vet explained about excising this tumor with wide margins and that it would then be sent to a pathologist for grading.  The hope was that the tumor report would come back as Grade 1 with clean margins (benign and completely removed).  I recall that the vet gave us an oral drug to give Stella for a week before excising the tumor in the hope that it would shrink it in size (internally) as there is not a lot of tissue to remove from an arm as opposed to, say, the belly area.  I do not recall what drug was given to us but I believe it may have just been Benadryl because of the histamine component with MCT's.  We're not sure if the tumor did shrink or not but after surgery her pathology report ultimately came back as Grade 1 with clean margins - YAY!  Incidentally, this excision was performed under General anesthesia with no hospitalization required.