This week’s segment features Brodie the 9 year old Scottish Terrier!!! 🐾 Brodie presented to us when his owner noticed he had a small lump on his side. When we find a lump or bump on your dog, one of the best first steps is a quick, simple test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA). With just a tiny needle, we collect cells from the mass and have them examined under the microscope by a pathologist (cytology). This helps us learn what type of cells are present and whether the lump may be benign or something that needs further treatment. Here at Emerson Animal Hospital we have the ability to utilize AI and scanning microscopes to receive the results of the cytology the next day. Unfortunately for Brodie, his mass returned as a mast cell tumor. One of the more common skin cancers we see in dogs is mast cell tumor. These can look like almost any kind of lump—sometimes even resembling a harmless skin tag or fatty tumor. Mast cells are the cells responsible for the histamine release in the body. We performed surgery on Brody to remove the mass and he has recovered well since his procedure. Brodie has been placed on a regimen combination of antihistamine medications that he will take life long to prevent the recurrence of these masses. If you notice any lump growing on your pet, having it examined and cytology performed on it to determine the origin can prevent spread and recurrence of the disease and keep your pet happy and healthy! 🐾