Recurrent Malignant Melanoma in a Doberman dog - A case report

A ten year old male Doberman dog was presented with history of lameness and progressive growth at the ventral aspect of the right forelimb. Grossly, there were multiple, small (1 cm) to medium (6 cm) sized brown to black raised and wrinkled growths noticed at the palmar aspect of the right forelimb. The Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) samples from the masses exhibited sheets of round cells with anisokaryosis, poikilokaryosis, prominent nucleoli and intracytoplasmic black colored pigments. The entire growths were removed surgically. Tissue pieces from multiple growth areas were collected in 10% formalin and processed for histopathological examination. Microscopically, the tissue sections consisted of pleomoprhic melanocytes with dark brown to black melanin pigments in their cytoplasm. Based on cytology and histopathological picture, the case was confirmed as malignant melanoma. However, recurrence of tumour masses was noticed within two months of surgical removal. This case report describes the recurrent malignant melanoma in a Doberman pinscher dog.