My dog has a dry lump on his neck under his collar. What should I do?

I agree that it's unlikely that Smith's collar caused this lesion in any way, but it could be causing it to be more irritated by rubbing it. From the picture, the lesion looks like an irritated papilloma, but the only ways to differentiate between different types of masses are through a fine needle aspirate or biopsy, both of which involve different ways to examine cells microscopically. Given the irritation present, continue to keep Smith's collar off of him as much as possible at home. You can also try to clean it with an antiseptic cleanser, like Hibiclens or betadine (both of which are available in most drugstores), but take care to rinse and dry well afterwards. Ultimately, I do think you should have this lesion examined by Smith's vet to help determine if it should be removed or if it can be monitored at home for changes. I hope that everything goes well!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sorry to hear that Link has this issue. This appears to be a cyst but it could also be a plugged hair follicle, an abscess or even a tumor. There is no way to know just by looking at it, unfortunately. If this was my dog I would not be overly worried at this point. I would leave the collar off, if possible, and only put it on as needed to prevent it from rubbing on it and just monitor it. If after another 7-10 days it does not resolve or it gets larger (or opens) then I suggest you take him to your vet for an exam. Don't put anything on it. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

The rubbing collar can set up inflammation and an environment for bacterial or yeast infection. The itching can cause inflammation that could cause something like a bump. I would recommend that you have Chester examined by a vet to see what exactly is going on. The vet may recommend anti-inflammatories or antibiotics or topical medications depending on what is really going on. Until Chester sees the vet, the best thing you can do is to keep him from scratching, so he may need to wear sock or pet shoes or a shirt that covers the area.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Cooper has a lump on his neck. Unfortunately, we cannot diagnose a lump based on what it looks like. Therefore, I would take Cooper to a veterinarian to perform a full physical exam and determine if is in fact a lump that needs to be tested or a wound/abscess or something else. Based on what it is, your veterinarian will determine the best treatment. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In theory this could be a growth but in reality that is unlikely just based on the size and general appearance. I would encourage you to check in with your veterinarian to check for this possibility so that therapy can be used accordingly. If it is just an infection, your veterinarian may put her on an anti-microbial shampoo. Best of luck!

It could be that Tiberius (love his name!) is suffering from an allergic skin reaction to the pheromone collar, and these lumps are hives. Given how fast they came up, I would take him into a vet now. The vet can prescribe him an antihistamine or steroids to stop the reaction.

It is possible this could be a cyst. Cysts can decrease in size, especially if the vet used a needle to aspirate fluid from the cyst. They do not, however, usually go away completely and will often fill back up. In some cases, these cysts will rupture and can cause pain or result in infection, so the best course if it seems to be causing problems is to remove it surgically.