Fine-needle aspiration doesn’t always yield enough cells for a definite diagnosis, so biopsy is necessary for some masses. Biopsy requires at least local anesthesia most patients need sedation or general anesthesia. The sample is transferred to a microscope slide and either checked at the veterinary clinic or sent to a laboratory for a pathologist to evaluate.īiopsy is the removal of a section of a mass-or an entire mass, if it’s small-for submission to a laboratory. The veterinarian uses a syringe and needle (about the same size used for dog and cat vaccines) to remove a small sample from the mass. Fine-needle aspiration is a quick technique that doesn’t require anesthesia. Veterinarians use either fine-needle aspiration or biopsy to take samples from skin masses. For diagnosis, a sample of cells from the mass must be examined under a microscope. It’s impossible to know if a mass is benign or malignant just by looking at it and feeling it. In cats, skin masses are more likely to be malignant.

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