Dog Melanoma Diagnosis

by Marla
(Chula Vista, CA)

Reader Question: Does My Dog Have Melanoma?

My dog is a golden/mini poodle mix, 7 ½ years old. He has been on Atopcia for 5 years, for “air allergies”, and has to have his anal glands emptied every few months. He has been current on his shots his whole life. Other than that he is in good health.

He was diagnosed with a melanoma on his second eyelid, the treatment is to remove the growth, and the second eyelid, and send the growth for a biopsy to determine if it is cancer.

My question is – do you agree with the diagnosis?

Veterinarian States Her Opinion On Canine's Diagnosis Of Melanoma

Hello,

It is impossible for me to comment specifically on your dog’s case without more information, but your veterinarian’s recommendations sound very reasonable. Ocular melanomas can have a wide range of behaviors ranging from relatively benign to highly aggressive. Surgically removing the mass and sending it off for evaluation is really the only way to know exactly what you are dealing with and the best way to proceed.

If your dog were my patient, I would also want to perform a general health work up before surgery (e.g., blood chemistry panel, complete blood cell count, urinalysis, and chest x-rays) to rule out any other conditions that might change our minds re. Surgery and evaluate for spread of the potential cancer.

Good luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM