Cross Breeds

Do you know a puppy shih tzu with a mass behind his eye?

My 10 month old shih tzu puppy just diagnosed with a mass behind his eye. Either a tumor or cyst. Doctor said not an infection. Needs an MRI to operate to save eye.($2,500) Otherwise surgery to take out eye then he would have only one eye. ( $1,500) Has anyone had this kind of a situation with their dog? If yes please give age ,circumstances and results. thanks

Public Comments

1. Nope, never met one.
2. no but good luck
3. mt maltipoo has never had that but i have heard of it. i would just take the eye out because 50% chance it is a tumor....if you to take out th eye best of luck, wishes, and hope, but your puppy should be okay...also these masses can probably occur at any age or time
4. Wow, that type of mass is quite uncommon, especially in a young dog. Enucleation surgery does not have many risks at all. I would not call it a "routine" surgery, but dogs really do very well after wards! I always say that the owners have a harder time adjusting to their dog only having one eye then the dog itself!! They bounce back quickly almost as if they were born with one eye! Your vet will keep him overnight after the surgery, but he should be good to go the next day. Chances are the mass in his eye is creating pressure and/or pain in his eye, so he will feel much better once the mass is removed. Good luck!
5. I have seen this type of surgery also. It is unusual for a young dog to have that type of mass. They do very well with only one eye. The operation covers the empty socket so that it doesn't look horrible. You can tell the dog has only one eye, but it isn't bad. If you are confused about what the vet has told you, you should make another appointment and write down all your questions as they come to you. The vet will most certainly answer all your questions. If you are not satisfied with any of the answers, I would seek another opinion. I can't tell you how likely the mass is to be malignant. So if that is of concern, time is of the essence. But I believe the MRI is to see how big the mass is or it's location. I think you might be better served to have the eye removed. If it is a cyst, cysts have a tendency to recur. If it is a benign mass, chances are it will only get bigger and cause damage to the other parts of his head. If you have the money to spend on an MRI then by all means have it done. But it may just show that it needs to be removed and you will have spent the money on a test that really didn't make any difference.