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My 13-year-old Rottweiler has a fast-growing head lump. Is it serious?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Male | unneutered | 13 years and 2 months old | 90 lbs

My Rottweiler who is 13has developed a hard lump on his head which seems to be growing quickly. Doesn't seem to be bothering him?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on March 19th, 2017

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.
Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD
Veterinarian
Dude's lump could be due to a number of causes, including: benign or malignant masses, abscess, cyst, granuloma, etc. A vet should examine Dude and will be able to perform a fine needle aspirate of the lump. This is achieved by drawing some cells from the lump with a needle and examining the cells microscopically. This procedure is relatively pain free and will provide a lot of important information as to the course of treatment. Since the lump is growing rapidly, take Dude to your vet in the next few days.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Unfortunately this lump on Dude could be a malignant tumor, and it is concerning that it's growing quickly. It could also be a cyst or a benign 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 it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Dude seen by a vet first thing in the morning to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated if needed.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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