Is this spot on my senior mini Schnauzer's chest a melanoma or injury?

From your description of the darker patch it sounds like another patch of hyper pigmentation due to old age. Melanoma (a type of tumor) could potentially start with this type of hyper pigmentation though and evolve in a proper growth. A picture of it would be extremely helpful, but it can be shown to us only by requesting a consultation. Otherwise a check up would be needed.

This could be from an injury that Bella suffered leading to a scab, but if it's raised up, it could be a cyst, benign tumor, or a malignant tumor (less likely in a younger dog). I would keep an eye on this scab, and if it doesn't go away in the next couple of days or gets bigger, I would have her seen by a vet.

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.

It’s hard for me to tell from your picture if this is raised. If so, it could be a skin mass like a histiocytoma or cyst. If it is flat it could be a small hot spot or area of skin infection. I’d recommend having your vet examine it in person for a definitive diagnosis.

I'd have to say that I'm concerned about that focal mass area that is pigmented black, but the rest of this lesion does not look like any type of skin cancer I have seen. If the vet is concerned that this is cancer, typically we debulk (remove as much as possible) or completely remove what we can before attempting chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is also best guided when we know exactly the type of tumor we are dealing with, as there are several types of cancers that can affect the skin of dogs. My advice would be to get a biopsy performed of this lesion and get an exact diagnosis before proceeding with treatment.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Looking at the picture you attached, it could be a couple of things. It could be a benign mass, like a skin tag, that has become irritated. There is unfortunately also a type of skin cancer called hemangiosarcoma that can look like this though. I would recommend taking her into your vet. They will likely ask you how long it has been there, about any changes in size/shape, and recommend a small skin biopsy. I hope this answers your question.

Melanoma that is found in the toes has more potential to be malignant, but this is not a definite. One thing that's in Ada's favor is that she is a Miniature Schnauzer. About 75% of melanomas in this breed are benign, which decreases the likelihood of malignancy. The biopsy results should give some indication of malignancy, so I'd double-check with the vet that gave you the results. Staging of tumors requires that a veterinarian takes samples from nearby lymph nodes and takes x-rays. If this hasn't been done, then you can ask your veterinarian if this is necessary. The prognosis will depend on the grading and staging of the tumor, so I cannot comment about that at this time. I hope this helps and all turns out OK with Ada.