Mast cell tumours are the most common skin tumour in dogs, ranging from low-grade lesions with excellent prognosis after surgical removal to high-grade malignancies that spread rapidly and require aggressive treatment with significant welfare implications.
Mast cell tumour welfare implications span a broad spectrum. Low-grade tumours caught early and surgically removed with clean margins cause minimal long-term welfare impact. High-grade tumours, however, can metastasise rapidly and cause significant suffering through local tissue destruction, systemic mast cell mediator release, and the welfare burden of chemotherapy side effects. Careful grading and staging before treatment planning ensures that treatment intensity is proportional to disease severity. Palliative approaches focused on quality of life are appropriate for high-grade disease where cure is not achievable. Antihistamines and gastroprotectants manage the systemic effects of mast cell mediator release during active disease or manipulation.