My husky has a dark, changing lump between his toes. What is it?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. Common tumors in this region include melanomas, squamous cell carcinomas, mast cell tumors and soft tissue sarcomas, among others. 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 have a good night!

From the picture this looks to be a mass. I would recommend having it evaluated by your family vet for needle sampling with cytology. That way they can determine if this is a mass and if so if it needs to be surgically removed (benign vs malignant). The toe is a tricky location so having it evaluated while it is small would be best. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Panda. It is difficult to say from your picture. It is most likely a small skin mass. However, it could be a tick. Check closely to see if it appears alive, has legs and can be removed. It is best for him to see his veterinarian. If it is a mass, a sample of cells may be taken to evaluate under the microscope. This can help determine the type of mass and if surgical removal is needed. If it appears to be a tick, it needs to be removed carefully to ensure it is fully removed. Sometimes medication is needed as ticks can spread disease to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Actually Sarge has two masses growing on his leg, the big one attached to his paw and the other is near the stifle. Apparently both masses are bothering him now as he is licking and chewing on the masses. This will need to be examined by a vet as these are likely tumors that may be benign but also malign. The mass on the foot will likely need to be removed, if only to avoid it getting infected or injured. The lesion on it may be from licking but could also be from growing and the skin not being able to expand any further. I suggest you make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam and a biopsy (usually a fine needle aspirate) which will aid in determining whether these masses are concerning.

This is a mass (tumor), however, a wart is also a tumor. So the fact that something is a tumor does not necessarily mean that it is malignant. It could also be a benign mass. I would actually consult with her oncologist, as he will have seen many different tumors and will likely have an idea what it could be before doing a fine needle aspirate to determine the type, It will also be important to see this in connection with her melanoma and its prognosis, to determine whether this mass can be left alone due to the life expectancy of your dog, or to see whether this may be a metastasis or unrelated. Unfortunately this mass is in a tricky spot, so removal will be easy, but closing the skin defect will be hard as there is not so much skin available. This is why it is important to have it examined before it gets too big and the skin cannot be closed anymore due to having to remove too much skin with the mass. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

I hate to hear this is happening to your pup! I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. Your veterinarian will need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. another common reason for a lesion like this is a foreign object trapped under the skin. Fox tails have a tendency to do this and generally need to be removed and the lesion lanced. Have this checked out soon. Protect the area from licking by having Dog wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps.

Any lumps/bumps that you notice on your dog should be checked out by your vet. Lumps are usually one of these things: * abscess * cyst * cancer tumor (benign or malignant) * wart There is no way I can tell you what it is just by looking at a photo but I have a suspicion it is a histiocytoma (benign tumor). It is best to have this checked out by your vet. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952066 )