My dog has a fast-growing, bleeding bump on her face. Is it serious?

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.

Hi and thanks for your request. This is likely to be due to a superficial skin infection likely to be caused by bacterial infection. It is not urgent. A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any).

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Moco! Due to his age, the appearance and the location it looks like a histiocytoma. Which is a benign mass in young dogs. They tend to resolve on their own in a few months but sometimes if they ulcerate, grow rapidly, become infected or bleed we recommend removing them. Another possibility is a mast cell tumor. I would suggest having it looked at my your vet. Good luck! https://www.petcoach.co/article/histiocytoma-in-dogs/

Hi there. Unfortunately there are many different kinds of skin tumors/growths that dogs and get and it can be hard to tell what they are just by looking at them. I think it looks like a benign papilloma wart but you must understand that there is no way I can tell you that for sure. It could certainly be a life-threatening cancer. There is just no way to tell from a photo. I don't think it is an emergency but when you can get the funds together I suggest you have that checked out by your local vet especially if it continues to change (size, shape, etc). The growth does look irritated like he either scratched it or is biting at it. If that is the case you need to get him an E-collar (cone) to wear so he stops messing with it. If he continues to traumatize it then it may get infected. If he is not messing with it then I suggest you just leave it alone (no treatment) for now and just watch it. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I'm glad to hear that Ivy doesn't seem to be bothered by this lesion, despite how inflamed and irritated it appears. While it's impossible to say definitively what the cause of this lesion is without further diagnostics, I can say that it's possible that this could be an irritated insect bite, or a benign or malignant mass. Given the irregular surface of this lesion, I think a bite/sting is unlikely, but the possibility shouldn't be ignored. Since it's so red and obvious, we have to assume that it popped up pretty quickly since you're just noticing it. As a result, I do think that you should have this checked out by your vet in person in the coming week. After an exam, your vet will likely want to perform a fine needle aspirate, where they'll use a needle to draw out a few cells for microscopic evaluation. That will help them to determine if this is more of an inflammatory/infectious issue rather than a more aggressive lesion. In the meantime, be sure to keep a close eye on Ivy. If she starts to lick this area at all, put an e-collar (cone) on her, as the licking will only cause further irritation. I hope that everything goes well!

Hello there! This is most likely a benign lump called a histiocytoma, which is a common condition that shows up on the face and paws in young dogs. This can only be confirmed by a veterinarian, by considering the size, shape, location, and the age of your dog, it's the most likely cause. I recommend a visit to your vet so that they may offer a definitive diagnosis. They will give Nikki a full exam, and most likely they will obtain a small sample of the cells inside the mass with a small needle. This is called a fine needle aspirate, or FNA. These cells will be examined under a microscope so that the vet can rule out other, more dangerous tumors. Histiocytomas most often spontaneously resolve on their own, but it can take weeks or months to go away completely. Some owners prefer to have them surgically removed, which is usually curative. If Nikki starts scratching at the lump, or if it becomes irritated or starts oozing, a visit to the vet is definitely in order as it could cause an infection. Good luck, and I hope Nikki recovers well!

It could be that the bump has turned into an abscess, or localised infection. Do you have any pictures that you could post ? Given the fact it does not affect him that much, if he is still well in himself , I would book him in for a check up after the week-end, sooner if becoming lethargic or not eating or even restless scratching at it. Have you tried to clean it gently ? Feel free to contact us in a consultation with pictures or just post pictures here.