Ask the Vet About Lymphoma in Dogs and Cats

HEY! Unfortunately, there is nothing to prevent Lipomas in dogs. Fish Oils will help with other things such as joint inflammation, skin and coat health. ~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer

I would really need to see what you are talking about to really offer any helpful advice. If there is a mass that "is coming out Like a lymphoma", it should be tested by your veterinarian. They will usually do a "fine needle aspirate" - a little mini-biopsy where they stick a small needle in it and suck some cells out and either look at it right there in their office or send it off to a pathologist. Then you can make a plan for it.

I never know if you want me to respond to these, but they sit in my "open" question list which makes it hard to sift through the ones I need to answer, so I'm responding.

You can ask for a referral to a veterinary oncologist - they will often be at your closest veterinary school or major city.

Possibly or it could just mean your cat is mounting a normal immune response to something like an upper respiratory infection - have your veterinarian check him/her out and run some tests starting with FELV (feline leukemia) and FIV.

No - not 2 days later - cancer takes (a little) longer than that - it may be a reaction/inflammation to the vaccines though. Have your veterinarian and aspirate the lymph nodes to see what is going on.

No, prednisone is not a cure but it will make him feel a lot better for a few weeks or sometimes months - it is always worth a try if you cannot afford to go see a veterinary oncologist for the expensive chemotherapy.

If she submitted the fluid to the lab for analysis and they saw lymphoma cells and/or if she spun it down and saw them in the office, that is diagnostic, but we usually have to do a biopsy of the mass to confirm the diagnosis - this can sometimes be done by an experienced ultrasonagrapher via a fine needle aspirate but usually by surgically entering the abdomen and obtaining a biopsy. If the latter is necessary & the mass seems relatively easy to remove, a removal may be performed and the entire mass sent to the lab for analysis.

No, not that we know of. Your dog would have to be exposed to an infected person very shortly before contact with her - it can live on them for a little while, like a doorknob or a table or our hands if we aren't washing, etc., but that's the only way.

Sorry it took so long - we usually answer questions within 24 hours. For immediate help, you can always call your veterinarian, emergency clinic or contact sites that charge a fee like Justanswer.com.

There must be a technical problem - we will almost always answer within 24 hours. I answered 3 different lymphoma questions this morning - maybe check your spam. Here is a really good article about lymphoma, written by another veterinarian, from a site that I trust, that you will hopefully find helpful: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951455

You will have to contact a veterinary oncologist for an accurate answer to your question. You can often find them at your local veterinary school or on websites like Justanswer.com. Here is a good article about lymphoma, written by another veterinarian from a site that I trust: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951455

I worry about 2 things that you mention: it is getting bigger and it smells - malignant, cancerous masses tend to grow relatively quickly and get secondarily infected, so have your veterinarian check it as soon as you can to see what kind of a tumor (benign vs malignant vs everything in between) it is so you can make an appropriate plan for him.

It can still be lymphoma, even with her feeling good. Your veterinarian will want to rule out other things like tick borne diseases with some blood work. Referral to a veterinary oncologist is ideal for treatment of lymphoma, but prednisone will make her feel better if that is not an option.

I can't really tell what is going on with your go from your question but if he has lymphoma, predisone can potentially help him feel better if he is in that much pain BUT the oncologists don't like for you to give it if you are eventually going to get stronger chemotherapy for him. You can give it with cipro but you can't give it with a lot of other medications. If he hasn't been diagnosed with lymphoma, definitely don't give it because if he has infection, prednisone will suppress his ability to fight it off. Consult your veterinarian, who knows his entire history, for better advice.