My dog has a bleeding wound or mass on his side. What should I do?

Poor guy. This does not appear to be just a lipoma (fatty tumor). I would highly recommend having Allie seen by your vet to get this tumor surgically removed and sent off for lab analysis to determine if this is a cancerous mass or a benign one. Hopefully it is benign and nothing to be worried about. The vet will likely place Allie on some antibiotics and pet friendly anti-inflammatory medication first to get the skin to calm down before surgical removal is done. But surgery is the best and often-times only option when a mass has gotten this large and has ulcerated. Until you can get her in, its best to clean this mass with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to keep it from getting infected. Then rinsing with sterile saline from your local pharmacy. I hope that Allie's mass resolves soon! Best wishes and take care.

This looks like a possible mass that has a really good blood supply or even a blood blister. I would try applying a cold compress on it for 5-10 minutes, if a vet is not readily available. If you can get the bleeding to stop tonight I would leave it be for now and then get this checked in the morning by your vet if possible. However if you cannot get the bleeding to stop even after the cold compress and perhaps even placing a make-shift wrap around it, then an ER vet visit has to be considered to stabilize the area. However, an ER vet visit is usually only needed if it is gushing blood, for fear or too much blood loss. If it is oozing then it likely can wait until morning before seeking veterinary assistance. Then surgical removal of this mass should be highly considered to avoid this type of complication in the future. Best of luck with Maggie and I hope you get this resolved soon. Take care.

Sorry to hear that Didis is having these issues. Based on the photo, that appears to be some sort of mass that is now ulcerating. The area should be treated as if it were an open wound that is infected, and thus, she should be receiving antibiotics orally. The only way to obtain these will be with a veterinary examination and a prescription. If this is not possible, the best thing you can do is shave the hair that is surrounding the lesion, scrub the area with dilute betadine or chlorhexidine, and keep it as clean as possible. You can also apply something topically to the lesion such as triple antibiotic, though his may or may not be effective. Do not bandage or cover the area, as this will only serve to trap bacteria into the area. Hope this helps.

Poor girl. Yes I would recommend taking her to the vet for this bleeding mass. Often times masses on young dogs are histiocytomas (benign tumors) and can spontaneously regress within 2-4 weeks. However getting this cleaned properly and a short course of anti-inflammatory medication, antibiotics and a temporary bandage are likely needed to help manage this wound in the meantime. Best wishes at the vet and I hope Coco Chanel gets this resolved soon. Take care.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the pictures! Many skin masses can look the same. Red dermal masses, like this one, can be benign or malignant. Some possibilities are an inflamed sebaceous adenoma, hemangioma, histiocytoma or it could be a Mast Cell Tumor. Since it showed up quickly I would have Oscar seen by your Vet. They can decide if aspirating it (sticking it with a needle and sending the slides to the lab) or removing the mass and sending it for biopsy is best. I hope this helps and I wish you and Oscar the best!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I recommend that she sees a veterinarian. The hair will need to be shaved to see the extent of the lesion. If she does not have a history of a traumatic wound, she could have an infected tooth. This can create an abscess under the skin that can rupture open. Her veterinarian will examine her and determine the best course of treatment. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Leahlah! It's hard to tell from just looking at a mass what it is exactly. I can tell that the area around it is inflamed. There are benign masses (hemangioma) that can form on the skin and bleed. It also could just be infected. There are also masses that can be cancerous. I recommend that you clean the area gently with mild soap and water twice daily then apply a triple antibiotic cream. If the area doesn't start to improve by early next week, I would have it looked at. Some local SPCA's have low cost veterinary clinics. You can call your local shelters and see if they offer them. I hope this helps and I wish you and Leahlah the best!