I have a few questions and hope someone will be willing to help:

1. Willow has had a spot on her face for just over 3 months. At first it was just flat, hairless and skin-colored. It then became raised and red. A needle aspiration was done for biopsy after she had it for 1 month and it came back inconclusive. The vet suspected it was a histiocytoma , but said if it was not gone in 4 more weeks that it should be removed. At that point it was definitely on its way to being gone so he said to watch it. It is now the 3 month mark, and while it has gotten smaller, it is still a raised red bump. Any suggestions? Should it be removed and biopsied? Willow is in good health, but she is almost 9 years old and I don’t want her to undergo unnecessary surgery.

2. If Willow has to have surgery, do any of her supplements have to be stopped ahead of time? I know in humans fish oil can cause bleeding and must be stopped 2 weeks before surgery, and I think chondroitin and glucosamine have to be stopped before surgery in humans as well. Does this apply to dogs? Willow takes Dasuquin, Lubrisyn (hyaluronic acid) and Nordic Naturals fish oil.

3. Is reflux more common in front leg tripawds than in dogs with 4 legs because of their “hoppy” gait? Willow has terrible reflux with symptoms of large burps, mostly after eating or drinking, and sometimes brings up “fluid” with those large burps. She was a tripawd when I adopted her, so I don’t know if this was a problem for her before her leg was amputated. She is on Cimetidine and her reflux is definitely improved but not gone. How much, if any reflux is okay/not dangerous?

Thank you,
Carol and Willow