Q: My Lab mix has a mast cell tumor. What can you tell me about this condition?
A: A mast cell tumor, or MCT, is the most common form of skin cancer in dogs. Mast cells are white blood cells designed to fight parasites and allergies. It’s not clear why some of these immune cells develop into tumors.
MCTs vary widely in appearance, although many are solitary, hairless, raised, pink masses that don’t itch or hurt. Usually they are in the skin, but sometimes they develop in the subcutaneous space between the skin and muscle or inside the body….