Why does my dog have a hard, sudden, non-tender lump on his back leg?

Depending on where the "knots" are, it is possible it is normal anatomy, however there could be something else going on. You may be feeling Cruz's lymph nodes if the "knots" you are feeling are behind the knees. Normally lymph nodes are small and not readily felt by owners, so it is very possible if you are able to feel them easily, that he needs to be checked out. Enlarged lymph nodes can be a nonspecific sign of infection or inflammation and should be checked out by your vet. Cruz is very young and so fatty lumps like lipomas, which are benign fatty tumors, are less likely. I would recommend having him checked out by your vet to see if these areas need to be investigated further or not.

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Nyte! There are numerous possibilities for this swelling. One of the most common would be a hygroma, which is a fluid filled bursae that we can see often on the elbows and sometimes on the hock of dogs. It is often associated with laying on hard surfaces (some dogs like to lay on hard floors because they are cooler). Other possible causes could include an infection of the joint, a cyst, or a mass/tumor (and some of these are benign/not aggressive). I would recommend a visit to your vet to examine the area. They may recommend a needle aspirate of the swelling, or an xray to help determine the cause. Until your appointment try to provide soft bedding for your dog to lay on when possible to decrease pressure over the area.

I would recommend a vet visit. The vet can do a needle aspirate and take a look at the cells. While this may be a location for a lymph node it does not necessarily have to be lymphoma. Enlarged lymph nodes may be due to cancer, or inflammation or infection. Or it's possible it's not a lymph node and may be another type of mass or swelling. I recommend a vet visit to try to see what is swollen and why.

This lump under Behr's skin is most likely something benign like a cyst or lipoma, however there is a small chance it could be something cancerous. At such a young age cancer is unlikely but not impossible. If the growth doesn't go away within a few days or it gets larger it would be a good idea to have Behr examined by a veterinarian. If necessary a small needle aspirate can be taken from the lump and looked at under the microscope to determine if it should be removed surgically. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope the small lump ends up being a benign growth!

I would recommend that Chico get checked out by a vet. There could be lots of causes including a torn ACL, broken bone, sprained ligament, or even bone or soft tissue cancer. After a physical exam, the vet may recommend x-rays to determine what is going on.

This could be a local site of inflammation from an insect bite or sting. This would especially make sense if it popped up within a day and was irritating/itchy to Pasta. It could also be a small skin tumor, which would be more concerning. I would recommend monitoring it for the about a week to see if it goes away. It the lump persists or becomes larger you should take Pasta to your vet to have it checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It sounds like Cutie has a tumor or abscess on her leg. Dogs also have lymph nodes you may be feeling which are on the back of the leg behind the knee. An abscess would be hot and painful and may feel soft. A lymph node would be under the skin, firm, round and smooth. If this is a tumor they can vary in feel. Malignant tumors are irregular, attached to the deeper tissue and grow quickly. Benign growths like lipomas or fatty growths are often just below the skin, they feel round and smooth but softer than a lymph node. To find out what the lump on Cutie is she needs a veterinary exam and they can put a needle into the lump and look at the cells under a microscope. They will be able to tell if it's a fatty growth or infection. If the cells look like they could be cancer they will send the cells out for cytology, or remove the lump and send that tissue for a diagnosis. As Cutie is a young dog it's most likely a benign growth, an infection, or you are just feeling a normal lymph node under the skin. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Cutie.