Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

How can I tell if my dog's breast lump is cancerous or benign?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pomeranian | Female | 8 years and 5 months old

My dog was affected by breast tumour. If that the tumour is normal or cancer tumour. How do I find this???

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on January 6th, 2018

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration).
Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors.
Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on September 18th, 2018
There is no way to determine whether a mass is malignant or benign by a description, growth behavior, or visual, I am afraid. The only way to determine that is by way of a Fine Needle Aspirate or biopsy and examination of the harvested cells under the microscope.
The good news is that it is about a 50/50 split being benign/malignant and many are mixed tumors. Lumps can also be cysts or encapsulated abscesses, so I suggest you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the lump.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Mallori Kaminski, BVSc
Veterinarian
Published on January 21st, 2017
Besides a tumor, the lump could also be an abscess or a cyst. In order to diagnose what it is, Daisy Duke would need to see her vet. He or she would likely start with a fine needle aspirate, which is where a needle is inserted into the lump and a small sample of cells is taken. These cells are examined under a microscope to determine what the mass is.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

My old dog has a shoulder lump. Is it a benign cyst or cancer?

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has a nipple growth that's now golf ball-sized. Is it serious?

Although it may look benign, this kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Should I worry about a donut-shaped lump under my dog's skin?

Although a picture would help to define better the nature of it, generally speaking, this kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My pet has a new bump. How do vets check if it's cancerous or not?

There is no way for me (or any other vet) to tell if the mass is cancerous or not just by looking at it. You will need to have your vet either surgically remove it and send it to a diagnostic laboratory so they can examine it under a microscope. Only then can you have a diagnosis of cancerous or not. There is a way to get a preliminary idea without surgery and that is with a fine needle aspirate. Your vet will put a needle directly into the mass (anesthesia is not required) and pull out some cells, put those cells on a microscope slide and then analyze them. This may give you a cursory idea of what type of mass it is. So, one of those things will need to be done before you can get an answer. Hope this helps.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog has a lump under his jaw and watery, uncomfortable eyes. What can I do?

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Why is my 10-year-old Boxer's back lump growing and bleeding?

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog has growing lumps under skin and seems restless. What's wrong?

These kind of lumps/growths need to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share