My dog has a burst lump with yellow liquid. Why isn't it healing?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the pictures, it appears as though this is a cyst. I would clean this using a combined solution of water and betadine (mix until light brown) and keep the area clean. The cyst will likely close back up now that it has ruptured. If it continues to drain material or becomes infected, then I would have a veterinarian take a look at this and plan to have it removed. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What i am seeing in the pictures is likely a sebaceous cyst that ruptured. These are common with older dogs and are benign. When these rupture there is a chance they will become infected so the best treatment is to have it removed to prevent this from happening. I would recommend consulting with your veterinarian about having this removed. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

What you are describing sounds like a sebaceous cyst. These are commonly found in the skin in dogs. A lot of times they will express a thick white or yellowish material. This is normal. The cysts do not usually need to be removed unless they become infected or are irritating the dog. If your dog has one cyst they may develop more down the road but it should be nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, even in person I would be hard pressed to give you a diagnosis based only on appearance. When a client comes in with a pet that has an unknown mass, we typically consider the following as possibilities, taking many factors into account: a mass/tumor, an abscess, a cystic structure, an insect bite, an allergic reaction, or a bruise from trauma. If the structure has burst open, it is most likely not allergic or from an insect. Depending upon your dog's age, the time the lump has existed, the consistency of the fluid you have noted, and the presence / absence of any other clinical signs, one of the other options is most likely. Something the vet might be able to do is obtain some cellular material from the affected area, place it under a microscope, and see if there is any cellular material that is useful in obtaining a diagnosis. Other times, appearance alone can at least tell a vet whether or not there is an active infection. As far as the possibility of cancer, tumors are certainly able to open up as you have described. They are typically more common in elderly dogs, though even this is largely dependent on the type of tumor. I would schedule a visit with your vet sometime soon. I would also in the meantime prevent Pancakes from bothering with the area. You can either buy an e-collar from a store / vet, or try and make something homemade until a commercial one can be obtained (with it being Easter, finding a store open that has one may prove difficult). The purpose of this is to prevent any current infection from worsening, or absent infection from beginning. Hope this makes sense.

This may be an abscesses, cysts or tumors. You should have them examined by your veterinarian. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

The fact that this has been there for so long, and the straw color to the fluid suggests that this is likely just a cyst. They tend to fill back up after being drained, but are usually benign. You wouldn't be able to drain spinal fluid from your pets skin. You can have the cyst surgically removed to resolve this for good or keep having it drained by your vet, since they can use sterile methods to prevent it from getting infected. If the discharge is ever reddish brown in color, then it is likely an abscess and requires antibiotics to resolve. I hope that Cocoa continues to do well. Best wishes and take care.

It could be that Jasmen had a cyst which has now ruptured. If there is pus, however, it means there is an infection and she needs to see the vet. The vet can confirm if it is a cyst, if there is an infection, and can prescribe antibiotics. Give the vet a call in the morning to make an appointment, and gently clean the area with warm water and antiseptic soap. Keep her from licking at it, put an Ecollar on her if needed. I will put a link below on how to make one at home. Best of luck. http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html