# When to remove a cyst?



## Nova&Uschi'sMom (Mar 22, 2013)

Hi everyone,

Our 1-yr-old female has a smallish cyst on her back (rear end). It's been there for a couple of months, and it doesn't seem to bother her, she acts like she doesn't even know it's there. We had cytology done on it at her annual exam and it came back benign, which is great. But the vet said that cytology showed the cell walls are inflamed, which means that her body is rejecting it and it could erupt or cause a problem in the future. So she recommended we get it removed. We definitely want to do what's best for our girl, but removing it is going to cost $1,000! And we're not really sure if it's necessary. We've heard stories of dogs who have had cysts, and they erupt and/or clear up on their own. And the dog is just fine. We just don't want to remove it if it's not necessary. Would love to know what you think. Thanks!


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

1k sounds steep. As my lab got into the double digits, I had them removed twice and both were 300-400ish, not sure if there are different circumstances involved here.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

sebaceous cyst? I would start supplementing with tumeric and see if it will reabsorb. It worked for my dog Kacie when she had a couple(I think they began to appear because of fish oil supplements/she's a long coat)
I would not pay 1K to have a sebaceous cyst removed, not sure why the quote was so high when it was proven to be benign?


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

1000$???? NO! that is absolutely ridiculous. Cyst removal is very simply and does not require full anesthesia. You can do heavy sedation like dexdomitor, apply a local lidocaine block in the skin around the cyst, and remove it.

Tell your vet to stop screwing you out of money, and find a different vet. Zeke had two cysts for years. They would occasionally burst. There is the potential for infection. But usually they are harmless.

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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

I was wrong, the first time she had two removed, a small one on top of her head and a larger one on her side, it was $285, can't find my receipt for the second time, but it wasn't much more.


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## Soundguy (Feb 20, 2013)

My previous dog, Jake had a couple of cysts on his back. My approach, with advise from the vet, was to manage them without surgery unless they became a nuisance or interfered with a collar, etc. They can be messy and require daily care for awhile if they erupt, which one did and eventually cleared up on it's own. I agree on the price. Quotes I got were $300-$400 and could be less if they were removed during a routine teeth cleaning.


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

I have cured cysts with Iodine tincture. Just put a few drops on everyday.

I would try neem oil now too(only discovered it recently). I use that on any skin issue and it works well.


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## Nova&Uschi'sMom (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks everyone. Yes, it's a sebaceous cyst. The reason the vet recommended removal was because the cell walls are inflamed, meaning it will rupture and may cause a problem for her..?? We were quoted $700 for the surgery, $150 for the anesthetic, and some other small fees. But it doesn't seem to bother her at all, and I'm confident we can manage something like this if it becomes a problem. I will try tumeric, and the neem oil or iodine tincture. With the tumeric, do you just add it into her food? And the oil/tincture, you just put drops right onto the cyst? She's on a full raw diet, so does anyone know if it could be something she's eating that could cause a cyst? She gets a full range of protein sources (chicken, beef, lamb, pork, fish), bones, organs, tripe, small blend of veg once a week, eggs, and we supplement with omega oils 2x a week and apple cider vinegar 1x a week. Thanks again!


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## Soundguy (Feb 20, 2013)

If you Google 'sebaceous cyst dog', you'll get plenty of information. I don't think that diet is too much of a factor. It's just that some dogs (and humans) are more prone to them. It's an abscess that grows around a hair follicle and gets trapped, if I remember right. They usually come to a head and erupt out like a pimple and secrete a thick white goo. You don't want them to rupture inward, which is probably what the vet is concerned about. They can sometimes be drained with a large needle and that's what they did with Jake's initially. The problem is, they sometimes have a tendency to keep returning. You might run that by the vet and see if that's a possibility before you go for the removal. In my experience, they're rarely a serious heath issue...just a nuisance. Good Luck!


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

how would a cyto test reveal the wall, also known as a sack, that it was inflamed ? might be time to look for another vet.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

My dog has one on his rear hip area, has been there since 18 months when first noticed - he is 9 now. Nothing has changed, no eruptions, never got larger. I read or was told by holistic vet that this is a vaccine adjuvant site - namely aluminum....If you feel like reading...(don't forget to check out the articles to the right of page for further reading...Show that to your vet

Aluminium and injection site reactions.

Aluminium and injection site reactions


AIMS: To alert pathologists to the spectrum of histological appearances that may be seen in injection site reactions related to aluminium. METHODS: Four cases of injection site reaction were examined microscopically using routine staining with haematoxylin and eosin, electron microscopy and by electron probe microanalysis. RESULTS: As in previous reports, all four cases included collections of histiocytes which contained faint granular brownish refractile material within their cytoplasm; *ultrastructural examination showed this to be aluminium. Two cases showed a prominent inflammatory reaction with numerous lymphoid follicles and a notable eosinophilic infiltrate. Two cases showed unusual features not described previously. In one, there was a sclerosing lipogranuloma-like reaction with unlined cystic spaces containing crystalline material. The other case presented as a large symptomatic subcutaneous swelling which microscopically showed diffuse and wide-spread involvement of the subcutis by a lymphoid infiltrate with prominent lymphoid follicles.* CONCLUSIONS: This report highlights the changes encountered in aluminium injection site reactions and emphasises that the lesions have a wider range of histological appearances than described previously.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

huntergreen said:


> how would a cyto test reveal the wall, also known as a sack, that it was inflamed ? might be time to look for another vet.


EXACTLY. of course there would be inflammation regardless, the skin is stretched to allow for the cyst to form

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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Wow that's an insane price, even for Canada. I'm in Saskatchewan and Chrono recently had a sebaceous cyst removed. Total cost was $120.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

I am betting the price would be about the same here where I live in Ontario. Vetting is much more expensive in Canada.
Not sure how it could cost $120 as going rate here just to walk in office is $85.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Saphire said:


> I am betting the price would be about the same here where I live in Ontario. Vetting is much more expensive in Canada.
> Not sure how it could cost $120 as going rate here just to walk in office is $85.


Just to see the vet is $50 or $60, I can't remember which one. But the procedure itself seemed extremely minor. They took him to the back so I didn't see exactly what they did, but I'm pretty sure they just shaved him then made a tiny cut and removed the cyst. Maybe size and location matters? Chrono's was about the size of marble and right under his skin, and it was getting ready to erupt when I had it removed. I would have left it when I saw it was going to erupt but the appointment was already made and I wanted to make sure it wasn't something else. I originally made the appointment because it was extremely hard and felt like a fully engorged tick. I'm terrified of ticks, so every time I pet him I'd have a panic attack when I felt the lump.

OP, I personally think your vet is full of it. Even though your vet says it might erupt/rupture, the treatment for that wouldn't cost anywhere near $1000. If you are really concerned maybe get a second opinion. If I was you, I would just keep an eye on it. 

I'd also be finding a different vet if this one wanted to charge me so much for a simple procedure. I know vancouver is expensive, but wow.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

i still think it is time for a new vet, not only based on price. imho, he/she was using scare tactics to sell you an unneeded procedure based on the info provided in you post. as stated. leave it alone unless it bothers your gsd. i have been through this. just have on hand, some betadine solution, antibiotic ointment and an elizabeathan collar so you can deal with a ruptured cyst. if it ruptures and returns, then have it removed.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Nikon's had a few benign, sebaceous cysts. They just go away on their own, or sometimes I can't help it and I remove them myself if they are small and at the surface. He did have one on his leg that he liked to chew on so I was going to have it removed but it ended up dissolving on its own before the appointment. The charge would have been $120 for the entire surgery and re-check. $1K to remove a benign cyst?!?!


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## BrokenSailor (Oct 22, 2013)

I have a three year old GSD Service Dog. He constantly gets reoccurring cysts. I have seen them described as lipomas or sebaceous cysts. These are small 2-3mm just under the skin cysts. They sometimes have a flaky patch on top of them that is easily removed. If you squeeze the cyst it is uncomfortable for the dog. Some of them form a head and release puss. Mostly they recede back into the body. One that I messed with ended up becoming inflamed and caused a sore that healed. 

My vet told me that GSDs are predisposed to them. It is not uncommon. Most of them will not be a problem. I should not worry unless they become inflamed or turn into a problem, then he will deal with them. 

I am going to hyjack this thread and keep posting my information and observations here for others to use. I have done multiple searches on this problem, but I have not found a thread that has a cohesive amount of information. We should have one good thread on this common ailment on this site IMO.

I have read that Salmon oil can cause this problem and that it may be diet related. I had changed my dogs diet from Taste of the Wild to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon. He was eating 40lbs of dry and two cases of cans a month. He is a big boy. I have since changed his diet back to TOW non salmon foods. The number, size, and severity of the cysts have decreased. 

My reading on the net has also shown that some using a product called Luster Coat helps. I have been trying this also. It is a mix of oils (not salmon), but the effective ingredient in this product is probably the Garlic Oil. 

The current two cysts have healed, but now I have two more small ones this month. I am still playing with diet and additives to see if I can eliminate the problem.

Sebaceous cysts are nothing more than sebaceous glands which are blocked and acting badly. If / when they do burst (they will, if they get large enough, and they usually continue to grow). I do not know if what my GSD has is correctly diagnosed.

There are also lypomas). Lypomas are usually soft, near the surface, and have a very rounded (not lumpy) nature. This is a better description of what my dog has. 

If you have this problem with your GSD, please chime in and we can help each other. If you have gone through this problem and have some advice, I would love to hear it. I strongly believe that this problem is probably diet related.

So far I have been able to reduce the problem by changing foods and using the Luster Coat. These cysts are almost like zits that don't come to a head. My vet said that I will most likely be dealing with the issue for the rest of the dogs life, but he is willing to supply me with any medications or supplements I find may help the dog. Since my dog is a Service dog, he receives a very high quality of care. He is very important to me, for obvious reasons, and solving this problem is also very important. 

I will continue to check in and update this thread. I hope others that have this same problem with their GSD will have a place to come for help on this problem.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> sebaceous cyst? I would start supplementing with tumeric and see if it will reabsorb. It worked for my dog Kacie when she had a couple(I think they began to appear because of fish oil supplements/she's a long coat)


I took her advice and followed the link read the article. My Sting has a cyst on his tail. It first started last fall and burst. The vet told me that because of the location it was not advisable to operate (apparently not enough flesh on the tail location to have it heal properly). It was treated with antibiotics. Of course, it came back this fall and started to get bigger and started to seep - the size of a quarter and about 1/4 inch thick. On Oct. 20 I got the ground turmeric from the grocery store and the coconut oil as the article mentioned. I made a mixture of the 2 and applied it to the cyst. I also started to give 1/2 tsp. turmeric mixed with 1 T coconut oil twice a day. Like the article said, after about 3 weeks, it formed a dark red crust and leaked out - I have been washing it and reapplying the mixture. Today - Tuesday it has shrunk to the size of a dime and not even 1/8 thick. Once it is cleared up, I do plan to continue the turmeric to hopefully prevent it from coming back.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

My dog also has one the size of a marble on his upper leg. My vet said to keep an eye on it and it may go away, it may erupt,or it may grow in size and then we might want to remove it. But otherwise just leave it alone. My last dog had a few on his back and I squeezed one of them, which led to an infection, so I'm not inclined to mess around with them myself. IDK why your vet would say to remove it right away - they're pretty common.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Agree with Blanketback also - and I did call the vet today as I also was worried about any possible infection since the whole scab had come off. He prescribed the antibiotics the capsules & the drops like last time. Since the location is an area that isn't good for surgery - I am still giving the turmeric and coconut oil - it can't hurt and may help to prevent it from growing back.


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