According to Chapter 5, Paragraph 25 of the Work Programme Provider Guidance Notes dated 21st March 2013, where the provider is “notified that a mandatory JSA participant has ceased their JSA to claim ESA, they remain attached with the provider and their participation requirements should be treated as the same as those of a Voluntary ESA participant until the outcome of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).” That being said ... A voluntary participant is not required to take part in the Work Programme and their participation remains on an entirely voluntary basis. Work Programme providers may not mandate voluntary participants to undertake activity. Whether a provider contacts a claimant between an ESA claim and the WCA is at the discretion of the provider.

Are you a lone parent? Is your child under the age of 5 by any chance? You could get income support instead of JSA if this is the case (and you certainly can when you are within 11 weeks of your date of confinement)

If the owner had said she refused a biopsy, then I would feel differently. If the vet had performed a biopsy before diagnosing the tumour, then it would be the owner's decision whether or not to proceed with any surgery. If, once diagnosed, the tumour was not affecting the life of her dog in any way (eg: difficulty walking/getting around), and there was no chance of it spreading to other parts of it's body, then surgery would not have been a priority (bearing in mind the dog in question was 13, and surgery would affect it's quality of life). A lot of "IF's", I know , but the owner has known her dog for a long time, and the vet for only one consultation. The cost may, or may not, have been THE deciding factor (although I understand from her first post it was ONE factor) - maybe she had her dog's best interests at heart?? Maybe she didn't want her dog to suffer the results of surgery at his age?? A second opinion would have made a lot of sense at the time, but the decision still stood with the owner.

A biopsy of the wound would also enable the vet to ascertain if the tumour (if it actually WAS a tumour to begin with) has spread - meaning that removal of the lump would not be beneficial to the dog anyway, or if it was 'joined' to anything (or free of any attachment, and therefore easily removed). Canine cancer is more likely to spread to other parts of the body (such as the bones) and a biopsy would mean that the vet had a full understanding of the situation PRIOR to suggesting a major operation. I agree with suemumof3's decision to not put the dog through any unnecessary medical procedures before a full knowledge of the wound was ascertained. Given the age of the dog, any operation to remove a tumour would be traumatic for him - and as the vet had not done a biopsy before saying that surgery was needed, a proper diagnosis could not have been made at this time.

I'm so glad he's getting better - and that you didn't just do what this vet had suggested. It sounds to me like she was after getting some money out of you for treatment that wasn't needed!! Keep an eye on it tho' ... if a new lump appears, I would suggest you went to another vet to get a biopsy done (just in case). Any heat/smell/seepage from a wound/lump tends to point to an infection and needs looking at by a reputable veterinarian. Asking other dog owners when you are out on walks which vets they use is a good indicator of who is good and who is best avoided

From what you're saying, it sounds like the vet didn't do a biopsy on the wound at all - is this right?? Skin tumors are usually first analyzed by a fine-needle aspirate, an impression smear or a scrape or a swab sample. A fine-needle aspirate involves gently inserting a needle into the lump, pulling back on the stopper of the attached syringe and then squirting any extracted fluid and cells onto a glass slide for examination under a microscope. This is a quick and easy way to diagnose many skin tumors, especially benign fatty tumors called lipomas. Another useful diagnostic tool is an impression smear. This simple procedure involves pressing a glass slide onto the surface of the mass and then examining the transferred cells under the microscope. A scrape or swab sample is another way to transfer tumor cells onto a glass slide. A skilled veterinarian can identify many types of tumors from microscopic assessment of cells by these various methods, reaching at least a tentative, or sometimes even a definitive, diagnosis A good vet would ALWAYS make sure at least one of these checks (see above) were carried out prior to diagnosis - even if it was just to find out if the 'tumor' has spread to other parts of the body, or if it was too far gone for a simple removal procedure. If I was you, I'd ask for a second opinion!