What does a melanoma tumor look like on a dog? Malignant melanomas look like raised lumps, often ulcerated, and can also look like gray or pink lumps in the mouth. Nail bed malignant melanomas, on the other hand, show up as toe swelling and possibly even loss of the toenail itself and destruction of underlying bone.
How long do dogs live with melanoma? Unfortunately, the average lifespan of a dog following malignant melanoma diagnosis is five to eight months. On average, 30 to 40 percent of malignant tumors metastasize in the early stages and quickly spread to the lungs, lymph nodes and other organs.
How serious is melanoma in dogs? Prognosis. Overall, dogs diagnosed with malignant melanoma and treated with surgery alone experience survival times of 4-6 months following surgery. They eventually develop life-limiting metastatic disease to the local lymph nodes and/or lungs.
What do you do if your dog has melanoma? Treatments. Surgery is the treatment for a melanoma. Melanomas located in the haired skin (except for the nail bed) are typically benign and only require conservative simple surgical removal. If the tumor is located on the toenail bed, amputation of the entire toe is essential.