The Next Step...

Our vet, Dr. R, told me that he was fairly certain that the growth was a fibrosarcoma and that we should go the the Auburn University Vet School as soon as possible to have it looked at.  I could tell from his demeanor and from the tears in the eyes of the vet tech with him that this was very bad news.  I immediately called Auburn and arranged to take Strider in a couple of days later.  Once there, I was informed that he did have an oral fibrosarcoma and we immediately began to discuss treatment options.  

One thing that I do not remember is when I first heard the explanation as to the benign biopsy results.  I believe it was our vet, Dr. R, but it could have been at Auburn.  The explanation, as best I can relay it, is that the material that looks like the tumor are actually collagen fibers that are created by the cancer cells, but are not cancerous themselves.  So that material can test benign if a large enough sample is not tested that includes the actual cancer cells.  I am sure I am not stating this correctly, but the phrase on some of the paperwork I have is "low grade histologic, high grade biological."