What is that lump????
Frank is a handsome, young, chocolate brown Labrador Retriever with a strange looking lump.
Nearly one year ago Frank had a raised skin growth appear on his right side just behind his shoulder. At first it was thought to be caused by his harness rubbing but then it never really settled. Frank is a very good looking Labrador with quite a long coat. The lump didn’t seem to worry Frank, so time passed.
Frank presented to Dr Jill King, and looking at the large lesion, it was decided that the lump really should be removed. Frank came in for a surgery morning at Pittwater Animal Hospital. He was given a sedative to stop him from worrying then had a blood test – everything was very normal. Frank was then given a full General Anaesthetic and once the hair was clipped it revealed how gruesome a lump Frank really had.
The tumour was 15cm long and 6cm wide. It was raised about 1.5cm with very prominent hair follicles.
An incision was made 1.5 cm all around the margin of the tumour and the tumour plus the fat layer below the skin was excised. Deep absorbable sutures were placed to close the wound. Then the skin edges were apposed to create a 20cm long incision line.
The skin came together very well but if Frank was active in the week after surgery this would cause the wound to swell.
Frank woke up very happy after his surgery. He had been given pain relief before and during the surgery and was dispensed more pain relief to take home.
A few hours later Frank was sent home for a quiet week of recovery.
The lump was sent to our laboratory for analysis.
The wound healed beautifully over a 10 day period.
So what was the lump?
FIBROADNEXAL HAMARTOMA
The pathologist reported: This lesion appears completely excised with a narrowest lateral margin of 9mm and a deep margin of 15mm.
What does all this mean?
Summary: The lesion is a benign hair follicle tumour that was completely removed.
3 weeks later Franks’s hair is growing back and the suture line is starting to smooth out.
When the hair grows back you will not be able to tell that the lump was ever there!
He will again be a very handsome Labrador.