What is involved in a skin biopsy?
Most skin biopsies are performed on a suspicious skin growth or on an area of skin that has failed to respond to symptomatic treatment. In many cases, the area to be biopsied is numbed with a local anesthetic. In some cases, depending on the area involved or the nature of the patient, it may be necessary to give the patient a general anesthetic. Either the entire mass or a small representative section of skin is removed and submitted to a veterinary pathologist, who will perform a histopathology analysis (examine the tissues under a microscope). The pathologist will attempt to determine the nature of the lesion, identifying the type of cells, their relationship to each other, and any evidence of malignancy. Most skin biopsies are very small and require few sutures (“stitches”). If you need to provide any home care to the biopsy site after your cat returns home, your veterinarian will explain this in detail.
