Results are in...

I'm so sorry the lump wasn't benign.  Like you said, I'm not sure what it means that something isn't benign but not yet cancerous.  Maybe it's just abnormal cells that indicate something else?  It sounds like you got in just in time, and hopefully the early detection and treatment means a positive outcome.  Sending lots of good strong healthy vibes to Maze!

Maybe this info will help.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/deptsOncology/owners/mastcell.aspx

Thanks Jackie! That did help a bit. The vet seems optimistic about it, but is just worried about Maze's heart during all this..

It sounds like you were on top of things and found it early. Keep us posted--I know it's a challenge to figure out which route you want to take. It sounds like your vet is optimistic and has great contacts.  That's such a plus.

 Prayers from RI for Maze and for you.

 The hard part is the waiting for the full diagnosis and game plan.  The wait is tough!

 

 Sorry to hear that it wasn't something benign. On a positive note though. Had a friend whose dog had a mast cell tumor and she survived several years after it was removed. Her's, I know wasn't a grade 1 mast cell but not sure if it was given a grad 11 or grade 111. She did keep the dog on antihistamines for the rest of her life. Her dog was probably a boxer mix, one of the breeds these tend to occur in. When she did pass on, she was a relatively older dog and the age was within the typical lifespan of a dog of her size and breed.

Sending some special vibes your way, that they can work things out okay and do the surgery and get the whole darn tumor.It sounds like you might really be on top of things and got this early. Great that your vet has contacts with a vet specialized in sedation. Don't think you could get much better than that.

We all have mast cell in our sbodies -- (pretty much all mammals I think) and they are all 'grade 1' -- it's not considered malignant until grade 2 -- and even then that's minimal. But when you are the human worrying and you get that result that says "Mast cell grade TWO" and you panic thinking "Oh my gosh ... we totally MISSED grade 1 and it's already grade TWO and ... and ... and ..." Nope - grade 2 is the lowest it can be. The concern with mast cell is it can metastasize when they remove it so generally before surgery they give the dog a massive dose of Benedryl, and yes, it's good to keep them on it. There are other things you can do -- a diet very very low in grain carbs is huge. Grain carbs feed cancer and make it grow. If you can add some anti-oxidant veggies to the food it can also help. From what you described it's in a good area where they will be able to get clear margins. When Muffin had his, they couldn't GET clear margins because it was right under the tip of his penis and there just wasn't enough flesh there to *get* clear margins. It is absolutely not the worst diagnosis you could have gotten -- if it has to be "the C word" then it's the best type to deal with. Is that kind of a backhanded way to look at it?? I'm sorry it wasn't better news ... but I'm really glad it wasn't worse.

Sending good thoughts for good news and a route to follow.

Callie, Maze gets an all raw diet (no carbs and very little veggies) She also gets Novo Phenarim since Benadryl did nothing for her. She has allergies to everything so the vet feels we're a bit a head of the game in the antihistamine area. LOL thanks guys! I feel a bit better about the entire situation as I think about it. She has so much going for her. Good health, good position for the lump.. Just gotta figure out her heart. And so far I am very impressed with this vet.

 I'm sorry that she has a heart condition and needs surgery, but it looks like she's in very good hands with this vet. Mast cell tumors are never good news, but at least this is a low grade one which gives you time to find the right surgeon for Maze's special needs.

 This isn't the time to get into a discussion about how to feed dogs, and I am not against raw diets. But, dogs do need some carbohydrates so their bodies can make glucose. If they don't get enough carbs, they will convert some of the protein into glucose instead of using it for protein synthesis. So carbs can have a protein sparing effect. Sending good thoughts for your sweet girl.

 I have to agree with Janice on this one -- and you don't have to do *grain* carbs but rather anti-oxidant veggies like squash, carrots, pumpkin and even white potato.  Just keep those to no more than 15%.  The anti-oxident veggies (and don't forget the leafy greens, kale, cruciates like broccoli) are good strong cancer-fighters.

 As treats Maze gets carrots and pumpkin. When we eat potato's, I grab some for her.  It's not an every day thing but she does get it a couple times a week. The vet is quite happy with her overall condition. I don't want to add to many new things because Maze is allergic to many things. Grains being the biggest thing (besides the environment)