{"id":2643,"date":"2026-07-06T12:48:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T16:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=2643"},"modified":"2026-07-06T12:49:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T16:49:47","slug":"fix-small-problems-before-they-become-big-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/fix-small-problems-before-they-become-big-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Fix small problems before they become big problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Board-Certified Surgeon’s Plea to Pet Owners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve had this conversation hundreds of times, and it breaks our heart every single time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pet owner, tears streaming down their face, looking at their beloved dog or cat. There’s a tumor  – now the size of a grapefruit – that’s invaded surrounding tissue, wrapped around blood vessels, or spread to the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And almost always, they tell us the same thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was so small 6 months ago. We were just watching it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We understand the impulse. We really do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one wants to put their pet through surgery for “just a little bump.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one wants to spend money on something that might be nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And frankly, subconsciously, no one wants to face the possibility that something could be seriously wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here’s the reality: in veterinary medicine, “wait and see” is almost never the right answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tumor That Started as a Pea<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us tell you about Max.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max was a 9-year-old Labrador who was presented with a softball-sized mass on his back leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was ulcerated, bleeding, and painful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His family was devastated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When did you first notice this?” we asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“About a year ago,” his owner said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But it was tiny. Like a pea. Our regular vet said we could just monitor it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the thing: a year ago, we could have removed that pea-sized tumor quickly and easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max would have gone home the same day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, we were now looking at a massive surgical procedure – removing a significant portion of his leg muscle, and possibly amputating the limb entirely, followed by chemotherapy, with no guarantee we could get it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost would now be much higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recovery would now be longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Max’s outcome had gone from excellent to guarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All because they “just watched it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, who in their right mind would pay to remove a mass the size of a pea, or a grape?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, lots of our clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even some pea-size masses had biopsies that came back cancerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The size of a tumor doesn\u2019t predict whether it\u2019s benign or cancerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a small mass means a quicker and easier surgery, a shorter anesthesia, less money spent, a quicker recovery, and a better outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A small mass is easier to remove than a large mass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why “Just Watching” Rarely Works<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When clients tell us they want to “watch” a lump, we just don\u2019t dare asking: “What are you watching for?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer would likely be: “Well, to see if it gets bigger.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that’s the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time a tumor is visibly growing, it could be late in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what happens when you wait:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Small tumors become big tumors<\/u><\/strong>
That pea becomes a grape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grape becomes a golf ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The golf ball becomes a grapefruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with every millimeter of growth, the surgery becomes more complicated, more expensive, and riskier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Even benign tumors can become more complicated<\/u><\/strong>
Let\u2019s take the example of a tumor on the gum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It starts out as small and benign, and then can become \u201clocally aggressive\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that, although they are benign, they can invade into the jaw bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catching them early means catching them before the invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A small mass is easier to remove than a large mass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. Tumors invade surrounding tissue.<\/u><\/strong>
Say a small tumor sits nicely in one spot – easy to remove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large tumor sends \u201cfingers\u201d into muscle, wraps around nerves and blood vessels, and sticks to vital structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we\u2019re not just removing a lump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re performing reconstructive surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Tumors spread.<\/u><\/strong>
Some cancers metastasize, i.e. they spread to the lungs, the liver, or lymph nodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early removal can prevent that spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delayed removal gives cancer a head start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. You lose options.<\/u><\/strong>
A small tumor gives us options: simple removal, shorter anesthesia time, quicker and simpler recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large tumor may mean leg amputation, radiation, chemotherapy, or in some cases, humane euthanasia because surgery is no longer feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But My Vet Said We Could Monitor It”<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hear this a lot, and we want to be clear: we\u2019re not blaming your family vet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some vets try to be conservative, to avoid putting you through unnecessary procedures and expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here’s the reality: monitoring is only appropriate in very specific circumstances, e.g. usually in an elderly pet with other serious health issues where anesthesia is supposedly \u201ctoo risky,\u201d or in cases where it\u2019s already tested and confirmed it’s benign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most other cases? Monitoring is a gamble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sadly, the house always wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your family vet suggests monitoring, ask these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n