DUDE                                Oral Melanoma

History:  Dude is a 7 year old neutered lab mix.  His owner had noticed an odor from his mouth for about a week, then noticed a bump on his tongue.  He scheduled an appointment for an examination the following day.

                                                                                                                                                       Pre-operative Picture 

Physical Examination:  Besides for  the mass on the tongue, Dude's comprehensive physical examination was normal.  Due to the location, far back on the tongue, a complete assessment could not be made until Dude was placed under anesthesia.

Diagnostics:  Prior to anesthesia, Dude had comprehensive senior bloodwork and chest radiographs performed.  Fortunately, no serious abnormalities were found and there was no evidence of tumor metastasis to the lungs.

Intra-operative picture

Treatment:  Dude was placed under general anesthesia and the mass was discovered to be growing from the surface of the back of the tongue. The mass was removed using a Carbon Dioxide laser.  A sample was sent to a veterinary pathologist for analysis.

                                                                           Post-operative picture