My dog has a dark lump on his neck. Is it a tick? Is it urgent?

While hard to say without seeing her in person, this does not have the appearance of a tick and looks more like a small skin growth. Ticks are usually dark in color, black/brown/maroon and once full of blood can have a pale grey appearance.

At this point, there may not be much you can do other than monitor it closely and keep it clean and dry. Protect the lump from scratching or other trauma. Your normal vet may also be able to provide some guidance via telehealth. Make sure to have it checked out as soon as your veterinarian opens again. If the mass starts getting worse, call and see if any emergency clinics are still open. Also, it's likely there are still some normal veterinary clinics that are open and I recommend to call around and look. You need to make arrangements for an appointment ahead of time and follow the assigned protocols. I hope this helps.

That does not appear to be a tick, but a small mass or cyst. You have a couple options. The first is to have your veterinarian examine King and perform a simple fine needle aspirate of the lump. The samples collected can be submitted for pathology. This may provide a diagnosis. Treatment would depend on the results. The other option would be to monitor the lump for rapid change or growth. See your vet for an exam and aspirate if the lump causes discomfort, grows rapidly or changes appearance.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the picture! It looks like an engorged tick. Gently lift it up and if you see 8 legs then it is a tick. Pull it gently off the skin where the head attaches to the skin or you can have your Vet for Vet tech remove it for you. I would change the brand of tick prevention you are using or start using one. I hope this helps!

Based on the pictures, it does not look like a tick. It looks like a skin mass. Have your vet take a look at him to determine exactly what it is. Your vet may want to aspirate or biopsy to diagnose.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Nusing from the picture, it appears as though she has a tick that is engorged on her face. It is hard to tell for sure because the puctures are slightly blurry but the shape and color has me thinking this is a tick. You can remove this but make sure to remove the head as well. There are videos on how to do this online. Also, you can have this looked at my a veterinarian to make absolute certain this is a tick before trying to remove it. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Zoe! From the picture, it doesn't appear to be a tick. This could be a nipple that is irritated, but without knowing where this is located, I can't say that for certain. It could also be a benign tumor or a malignant tumor. Any suspicious lumps 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 lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. I'd give her vet a call in the morning to make an appointment for her. Best of luck, I hope this helps!