My pet has a growth that didn't go away after lancing. What is it?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Often times skin growths like this one which appears to be a wart like growth do tend to come back even if they have been removed. These usually are nothing to be very worried about but can be a bit unsightly and may grow larger over time. These can be removed surgically or can also be removed by cryotherapy (or cold therapy) which is a less invasive way of removal. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!

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 recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Regardless if benign or malignant, removal should be considered to try to make her more comfortable. How likely it is to come back after removal will depend on what kind of growth this is and how malignant it is. Good luck and have a good night!

I recommend taking precious into the veterinarian. These lesions may be cancerous and should be assessed by her vet. After exam the vet my recommend surgical biopsy or other diagnostic testing to determine what this is. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think you should have this checked. The fact that it was previously known to be benign, does not mean that now it cannot be malignant. If it has gotten bigger, it would be great to sample it again. I recommend you have Lily evaluated by your veterinarian for a test called fine needle aspirate which is an easy, quick and pain-free procedure which in the majority of cases will help reach a diagnosis to identify what the best course of action is based on the findings. In some cases, a biopsy is needed for a diagnosis. If it truly is benign then removal is not necessarily recommended. However, if it is malignant and it has not spread to other locations, then surgical removal is recommended. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and for looking out for Buddy. I'm not sure from your picture if you're talking about the blackish mass at the front of Buddy's chest, or if he has masses under his skin on his sides. Either way the answer is the same. If the masses are coming back in the same place, then he's either very unlikely or there is local recurrence of the mass. Local recurrence and have been with cancerous growths and also with some more benign types of growths. The appropriate treatment depends on the type of mass that it is. I would recommend asking your veterinarian if he had cytology or histopathology done on the mass for testing (because those would give very different information) and exactly what the growth was. Then you can talk to your veterinarian about the significance of regrowth, or repost a question here if you would like. Another possibility is that he's getting new masses, in similar but not identical places, and it's unrelated to his old masses. For this I would recommend cytology (using a needle to poke the mass while Buddy is awake) at your veterinary office and talking to them about whether removal is needed or not.

This is a mass. It will not fall off by itself, since it is attached to your pets skin and isn't something like a scab. It doesn't look particularly cancerous, but I would still recommend getting it tested by your vet and still consider getting it surgically removed, since it will likely continue to grow and can cause problems (i.e. source of irritation, source of infection) later on. Best wishes moving forward with Tiffany and her mass. Take care.

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 recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!