Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed is the removal of masses or ‘lumps’ on animals. It is always a good idea to have any lumps checked out by your veterinarian. We will generally perform a fine needle aspirate at the first appointment to try to better identify if the mass should be removed. We recommend removal of any questionable masses. Most masses we remove are benign (won’t spread) but occasionally they are cancerous. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a ‘lump’ is necessary to improve the outcome in your pet if the mass is cancerous. At Sitara Animal Hospital when we remove any lump we make our incisions as though we are removing a cancerous lump to improve our chances for “clean” margins (the removal of the entire mass.) Once the mass is removed we will send it to be analyzed by a pathologist to further identify the tumor and margins.