A surgical procedure that removes a tumor, a small piece of tissue, to determine if cancer is present. The collected tissue is submitted to the laboratory for examination. Results can be expected within 5-10 days in most cases.
How is a Biopsy Done?
A biopsy is a procedure that involves taking a sample of tissue from the body for examination under a microscope. The sample is usually taken from an organ, such as the liver.
During a biopsy, the person who is performing the procedure inserts a needle into your dog’s skin and through the muscle to get to an internal organ. The needle may be inserted with or without anesthesia. The vet will then remove some cells or tissue from your dog’s body and put them on a slide so they can be examined by looking under a microscope at them. This will help determine what type of cancer your dog has and whether it has spread beyond its original location.
Afterward, you’ll need to keep your dog still for about 10 minutes after this procedure so that the blood flow will not cause any bleeding or bruising in their body.
What is a Fine Needle Aspirate?
A fine needle aspirate is a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the tumor of a dog to remove cells from it. The cells are then analyzed under a microscope and compared to other samples from the same animal, as well as samples from other dogs with similar symptoms. This helps to determine what type of cancer it is and how aggressive it is likely to be.
The procedure itself is done by an oncologist or veterinary surgeon, and requires general anesthesia. Once the dog is asleep, the vet will insert the needle into the tumor, then withdraw some fluid from it. They will also take tissue samples from other areas of the tumor before closing up everything with sutures or stitches and administering pain medication after waking up from their sleep.