My dog is coughing and has a bump on her front leg. What should I do?

Having a cough when excited would make me concerned that her heart or lungs are not functioning correctly. It could something as mild as a lingering infection or as severe as lung cancer or heart failure. In terms of the lumps and bumps, those sound like masses, which could be cancerous or benign. She needs to go to the vet for an exam and chest x-rays, and then the masses can be sampled to determine if they are concerning once you know how severe the issue in her chest is. Hoping you get some good news.

This bump on Aspen's leg could be a cyst, a lipoma, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Any suspicious bumps 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 bump 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 would take Aspen into the vet tomorrow to have the bump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. It could also be an enlarged lymph node. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and best wishes!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would recommend taking Jack into the veterinarian to have his lump and cough assessed. The two may be unrelated issues, or it is possible that the lump is related to the cough. The vet may recommend aspirating or biopsying the lump to determine what it is, taking xrays to look at his heart and lungs or other diagnostics.

Poor Brownie! Unfortunately there is no way to share photos in the forum, but you can request a consult with an expert online where you can share photos and get more in-depth help. As for the bump, in a senior dog like Brownie, there's always a chance it could be due to malignant tumor. It could also be a cyst, an abscess, or a benign tumor. Any suspicious bumps 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 bump 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 would have Brownie seen by a vet tomorrow to have this bump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed.

With how quickly the bump appeared on Ellie, I recommend having your veterinarian take an aspirate of it. An aspirate consists of your veterinarian placing a needle in the growth to try to collect cells. They can then evaluate it under a microscope or send it to a pathologist to evaluate. This may or may not get us a complete answer. The bump could be a benign (non-cancerous) growth but it also could be something to be concerned about. The best way to determine if this is something at all to be concerned about is to remove the growth under anesthesia, send the growth to a pathologist and have a pathologist examine the tissue.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sage. Her mobility issues are most likely untelated to the new bump. She may be experiencing an exacerbation of age related arthritis if she fell a bit from the vehicle. This could make her very sore. Keep her quiet and do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. She will need to see her veterinarian for an exam and possibly x-rays. Pain medication will likely be prescribed as well. The mass can be evaluated as the same appointment. A procedure known as a fine needle aspirate is commonly performed. The veterinarian will collect a small sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This will let you know if the mass is cancerous or not. It is a rare for a mass to affect mobility, but it is possible. I hope this information helps!