You can see what mast cell tumors look like here. In the early stages (what the vets call Stage one but also sometimes at Stage two) the tumors look like nothing much. And there is no way to tell for certain whether what you are looking at is a really small mast cell tumor or something harmless without doing a full biopsy. So if you see anything suspicious, talk to your vet. They will tell you, based on their experience seeing many tumors, whether you should take your friend in for surgery or not. Of course if you let these cancerous cells do so, they will grow and spread and kill your friend.

But they don’t need to be big to spread.  In fact, if you spot one small mast cell tumor, odds are you haven’t spotted several more. So I would advise you to look at your furry friend closely before taking him or her in for the necessary surgery to remove them. Stroke the fur all over until you can see the skin. Feel for any unusual bumps. Watch your friend as he or she sleeps or simply lies down to relax because those are the times when you are most likely to spot anything out of the ordinary.

If you have two dogs, and one of them keeps licking the other in the same spot, take a look at that spot. Maybe there’s something there. Dogs are sometimes much better at detecting illnesses than we are. Follow their lead.

Do all this not simply to avoid taking your friend in for surgery several times but to save yourself unnecessary expense. Depending on your vet, it can cost you (almost) as much to remove five mast cell tumors as one. This is because they have to prepare the dog for surgery and watch him or her in recovery. So if you can catch all the mast cell tumors at once, you may save your best friend’s life and you may save yourself from going too far into debt.