How we found out
Gracie's diagnosis was a surprise finding. She went in to check a problem with an enlarged gall bladder that had "sludge" around it. We went to see a specialist at Georgia Vet Specialists (GVS) to better define the problem and any possible treatment.  It turns out the gall bladder problem corrected itself, but imaging done to look into the problem turned up and even bigger problem, a growth on Gracie's lung. A surgical consult was immediately recommended for as quickly as possible as growths of that size and location often turned out to be of a "suspicious" nature. 

The Growth
Our surgical consult made the hard decision easy.  The growth, whatever it was, was likely dangerous and if it was going to be dealt with as soon as possible was the time to do it.  The growth was "suspicious" and likely cancerous according to the surgeon.  The growth needed to come out; because of its location it was not an area where they would be able to get a reliable sample for a biopsy and they would have to put her under to even try. Even if we did go that route it was still likely that she would need the surgery to remove the mass so we opted to do the surgery 2 days later. 

The Surgery
Gracie's surgery was considered a major surgery. As with all major surgeries they have risks of complications, one of the major ones for this procedure was that Gracie would have to be on a ventilator and sometimes dogs don't come off of them very well. With Gracie's procedure the surgeon was going to have to make an incision between two ribs from close to her spine to almost her sternum, roughly 5 inches long.  The surgeon would then have to go in through the separated ribs to remove the lung nodule with the growth in it.  All in all the surgical procedure lasted roughly three hours, we stayed in the waiting room the whole time.  The scariest part was when the surgeon said that she took a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node nearby meaning that what was likely cancer had spread.

Post Surgery
Gracie's surgeon said she did very well.  When Gracie was in recovery the surgeon said she was looking up waiting for attention.  We had to wait until the next day to visit Gracie because it was better to keep her settled and less anxious after her surgery. A primary objective for Gracie's team was just to make sure they were properly managing her pain so she could recover as quickly as possible. Of course I went to visit as soon as I could the next day.  I sat with her for a couple of hours and she mostly cried the whole time. It was heartbreaking because I hated to see her so uncomfortable and not be able to do anything to help.  She was bandaged up with a pain patch that would stay on for days. 3 days later Gracie was home, very uncomfortable and with instructions to "lay low" and not do walks, stairs or any playing around.....she was encouraged to relax with her buddies. 

The Pathology
Unfortunately the initial pathology indicated that the non-differentiated cancer cells were likely carcinoma, an aggressive type of cancer cell. Since the samples were not completely conclusive the surgeon ordered additional slides to be done, unfortunately they turned up an even more aggressive cancer diagnosis, Histiocytic Sarcoma. Primary occurrences of Histiocytic Sarcoma can be found in the spleen, lymph node, lung, bone marrow, skin and subcutis, particularly of the extremities. Secondary sites are widespread and usually include the liver and lung (with splenic primary), hilar lymph node (with lung primary). Clinical signs typically include anorexia, wight loss, and lethargy. Other signs can depend on the organ types involved. For example, pulmonary symptoms can display as a cough and dyspnea. When Gracie was first diagnosed she was not displaying any symptoms of the cancer.  

Note: If your pet's pathology results turn up inconclusive or not completely conclusive don't be afraid to ask for additional slides and tests to be done. It's hard to treat something that you don't really know what you're trying to treat.