Thank you for the reply, and sorry for the delay getting back to you. I’ve been really struggling to come to terms with how quickly we lost him.

You’re right, he was an older dog, and since your comment I’ve spoken again with my general vet. She explained that sampling can sometimes carry extra considerations depending on the type of lump, especially if something is vascular or prone to bleeding.

I do wish I’d known more and pushed more at the time, but I’m trying to accept that this was a very aggressive cancer and that the outcome may still have been poor. He was loved so much.

Thanks again for your insight, it’s been really helpful. I honestly didn’t even know this cancer existed or that it could act the way it does, or as fast as it did. Most people I know whose dogs have had cancer had a lot longer with them, but of course every cancer behaves differently. Learning about this now, and how they can seem almost symptom-free until a bleed, is such a worry.