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Hi,I took my dog to the vet yesterday as she has a skin tag on her lip. The skin tag is about 1cm long. The vet told me they would have to put her under a general anaesthetic to have it removed. Overall the skin tag doesn't irritate her too often but I just don't know if I should have it removed. I'm a little scared to have her put under a general for something that seems to be minor. Any thoughts on what I should do?

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Guest Maeby Fünke

I would have it removed under a local anaesthetic, and only with excisional* margins (not clean ones) and get a biopsy.

Do you trust your vet? Have you known him/her long? If not, I would get a second opinion.

Personally, I would get a second opinion from an oncologist. I don't mean to frighten you but it could be a mast cell tumour. Mast cell tumours come in different forms including skin tags. My Pug has had 15 growths and 8 of them have been mast cell tumours. Most of them were seemingly harmless skin tags. One skin tag was a Grade 2 (on the old rating system) and the cancer was growing rapidly.

*Removal of the growth/tumour itself and not the surrounding tissue.

Edited by Maeby Fünke
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Boof had a skin tag that was like an extra nipple. Over the years it began to grow longer. We eventually removed it, many years after it first was noticed, after it started to become irritated. I'm not sure if he scraped it on something or it was just a gradual process.

Skin tags are harmless generally.

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I had one removed with a local but I wasn't going to bite the Dr :) I can sort of see why they want to knock the dog out. If you google removing skin tag you will find the string method.

:laugh:

I have my fair share of the bloody things and the older I get the more that come up. I've had a few frozen/burned off.

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Thank you all for your help. I forgot to mention that the vet said it was benign and most likely a skin tag or papilloma. I asked if they could do a local but they said a local won't sedate her enough to keep her from moving. Having read your posts I think I will get a second opinion. So glad i'm a part of this forum!!

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Guest Maeby Fünke

Thank you all for your help. I forgot to mention that the vet said it was benign and most likely a skin tag or papilloma. I asked if they could do a local but they said a local won't sedate her enough to keep her from moving. Having read your posts I think I will get a second opinion. So glad i'm a part of this forum!!

How does the vet know it's benign? Did she do a fine needle apirate?

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I have taken the odd one off my dogs. You need to get someone to put traction on it and tie cotton around the

basas tightly as you can. It will drop off in a couple of days. Having siad that, you are best to just watch it for any changes or bleeding as humans are advised to do with skin lesions. Certainly do not rush into surgery if the dog is not in pain or discomfort. Justkeep an eye on it.

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Why would she test a skin tag though?

Skin tags are harmless. They are as they are named - skin tags. They're not tumours or anything else.

Vets are qualified to be able to determine the difference between a harmless skin tag or something more sinister. If you really are worried, get a second opinion on what it is but I wouldn't be stressing about a skin tag if it is indeed a tag.

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