My 11-year-old Lab has black lumps near his butt. What should I do?

It sounds like this is some kind of skin growth. Dogs can develop melanomas of the skin along with many other benign growths. I would recommend having your vet take a look - they might recommend taking a sample with a small needle to determine what this might be, or they might recommend going ahead and removing it.

Any lumps/bumps that you notice on your dog should be checked out by your vet so I'm glad you are planning a vet visit. Lumps are usually one of these things: * abscess * cyst * tumor/cancer There is no way I can tell you what it is just by looking at a photo but I have a suspicion it is a tumor of some sort; may be benign or malignant. Your vet will be able to tell you more after the exam.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These look classic for perianal gland tumors. This is very common in intact dogs. The majority of these tumors are benign though a small percentage of them are malignant. I recommend you take him to your veterinarian for a test called a fine needle aspirate which can help distinguish these tumors from other more concerning tumors. If it truly is a perianal gland tumor, most of the time they resolve or greatly improved by neutering the dog as they are driven by hormones. If they are not bothering him, this may be enough. In cases when they are starting to bother the dog, you can also consider removal. Feel free to request a consult with me if wanting more information on the next steps. Good luck with your pup!

That is quite a sizable lump on Max! In a senior dog, there is always a chance that this lump could be a malignant tumor, but it could also be a benign tumor. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I recommend taking Max into the vet tomorrow to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed.

This lump on Sam could be benign or malignant. In an older dog, there is always a chance any lump could be malignant. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call tomorrow to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can definitely see the lumps on Spider's side that you are talking about. They do not appear to be bleeding or have any discharge or inflammation, so I can guess that they are not bothering Spider. It is hard to get a good idea of their size from the pictures, but they do not appear very large. You have several options in this case - you can either continue to monitor the lumps for any change in size or development of discharge/redness (having them evaluated by a veterinarian if any of those signs occur) or you can have him seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Having him evaluated shortly will allow Spider to have a better prognosis if the lumps are masses, as they can be removed and sent of to a laboratory for a definitive diagnosis and treatment options.

This could be a seroma from an injury, a cyst, abscess or a tumor. Cysts and abscesses need to be drained by a vet. If your vet suspects a tumor, he will do a fine needle aspirate to determine whether it is a harmless lipoma, which does not need to be removed unless it is ulcerating or bothers the dog due to its location or size, or another tumor that needs to be removed. Please make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the mass.