My dog has an eye lump. Vets can't diagnose. Should I worry about cancer?

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. 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 do not think you should continue to just monitor it as it is likely going to continue to grow. 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 day!

Without an exam or diagnostics, it is near impossible to say. It could be anything from local inflammation/infection to a benign or malignant mass. Given Ruckess' history, an exam with your veterinarian or veterinary oncologist would be recommended. A fine needle aspirate can be done to collect a sample for pathology.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the lump has been there for 3 years and hasn't changed then you can monitor it and have your Vet look at it the next time you are in for an exam. If it is new or has grown then I would recommend having a vet look at it and decide if it should be removed. Most eye lid masses are benign but they can grow and if they get o too big they are harder to remove. I wish you the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be an abscess. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Ozzie evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello. That looks like a small growth/tumor that originated in a tear-producing gland. Without an actual biopsy, we cannot say the exact type or if it is benign/malignant. However, the majority are Meibomian Gland Adenomas and typically are benign. They can bleed, cause inflammation or infection and, if large enough, can irritate or even scratch the cornea. They can be a nuisance. Monitor for squinting, pain, rubbing the eye or chronic discharge. Some need to be removed surgically. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

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!

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!