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My Dog has a black mole that is raised and has a lil cloud like thing around it like discolored...does that mean for certain that he has Melanoma?
Where on his body is the mole located?
Is there any baldness around it?
Is it itchy at all?
What color is your dog's skin and hair?
What breed is he?
What age?
The mole is located on his abdomen near his inner thigh.
small quantity of hair.
doesnt seem to be itchy.
my dogs skin is pink and his hair is white.
schnauzer/poodle mix
6 years old
It definitely does not mean for certain it is a melanoma. Many lesions like this are simply moles that start to appear at middle to older age. Since your dog is a light colored dog he is more at risk for melanoma than others, but it really isn't all that common and I would lean more towards a mole or benign skin lesion than melanoma.
The only way to know for sure is to have a pathologist read a sample of the lesion. This is done by one of two ways:
1. Your vet can do a fine needle aspirate in which they insert a needle in the lesion and aspirate some cells, put them on a slide and send it off for diagnosis. This is done with no anesthesia or sedation and at a quick office visit.
2. Surgical removal of the lesion and send the whole lesion in for a pathologist to read and see what it is. Anesthesia is required for this usually. Sometimes on small lesions it can be done with a local anetsthetic and just deaden the area.
Let me know if you have more questions,
Dr. Debbie
I think the mole changed a lil in the past few months and the brown cloud like thing around it scares me to Death ......because it has changed could it still be a simple mole? or does it mean it is more likely to be malignant?.....he is actually getting the surgery tommorow im just so worried i guess i am looking for a shred of hope.
I definitely think you have a shred of hope. Usually a malignant growth has very significant change in days or weeks. Moles grow and benign skin growths grow such as histiocytonas or sebaceous adenomas. There are also things like mast cell tumors in which surgical excision is the cure.
If it is a melanoma you are pursuing the right course of action and your vet will be sure to get good margins and try to get everything out. Usually it takes 3 to 7 days to hear back on the results.
At this point, I would remain hopeful. It sounds like you are a very conscientous owner and pursuing treatment - that is your best case scenario. I think the surgical removal would be better than the fine needle aspirate.
Best of luck to you tomorrow.
Experience: Companion animal veterinarian practicing for over 10 years.