My dog has hard, unattached lumps under his skin. What are they?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be benign or malignant growths. 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 your pup evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

There are numerous causes of lumps on a dog Sheba's age, and not all are worrisome. Dogs can develop non-cancerous lumps like cysts, seromas (pockets of fluid), abscesses, and bruises. Some of these can go away after being drained by a veterinarian. Dogs can also develop lipomas, which are benign fatty tumors, that generally do not cause problems. Some owners elect to remove them and some monitor them at home. The best way to figure out what is going on is to take Sheba in to have your vet examine her and possibly do a fine needle aspirate of this lump, which involves sticking a small needle into the lump and trying to remove cells/fluid. These cells/fluid can then be examined under the microscope to help determine what the lump is made of and how it needs to be treated.

If your veterinarian has not done a fine needle aspirate with cytology or a full thickness biopsy of the lumps, he is only speculating as to what they are. Without seeing the lumps myself, it is difficult for me to assess what they may or may not be. However, in my experience, usually fatty masses don't tend to leak sticky clear fluid regularly, I would ask that he samples the fluid in order to best figure out what they are if you would like to find out. Otherwise, if they are not getting larger, not causing Bruiser any harm of discomfort, and are not ulcerating, you don't have to necessarily do anything with them. But, for a young dog like Bruiser, I would be very curious as to what is going on. It would be very unusual for a 1 year old dog to develop 15-20 fatty masses. This is usually something we associate with senior dogs.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Chances are that this is a sebaceous cyst. Sebaceous cysts are usually harmless, sack-like growths with a lining that is not cancerous. In dogs, most cysts develop from hair follicles. These cysts typically appear as single, clearly defined, firm or soft lumps located in the skin or just beneath it. They are often between 0.5 to 5 centimetres in size and may sometimes have a bluish colour. A cyst can release a thick, gray-to-yellow-brown cheesy substance if it bursts. Other terms for sebaceous cysts in dogs include infundibular or follicular cysts. The lump needs to have a fine needle aspirate (FNA)/cytology to be sure of that diagnosis. Here is a link about the procedure and why it is done. It does not require anesthesia. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cytology-fine-needle-aspiration-fna ) If it is a sebaceous cyst, it will be very obvious once the vet introduces the needle into the lump. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

What you're describing could be a keratinized cyst, a foreign body, a wart, or some other type of tumor. If possible I recommend your veterinarian do an exam to make sure removal isnt necessary. Otherwise continue to monitor it for any change in size, shape, consistency such as firmness, as well as pain.

They could be lipomas which are common benign fatty lumps in dogs. The only way to know for sure is to have your vet do a fine needle aspirate and cytology. This is a very simple procedure that is commonly performed. If your vet is not able to get a diagnosis on cytology then removal and biopsy may be recommended.

This looks like a skin mass or tumor. Sometimes a benign growth or cyst can have some material inside that you can squeeze out like this. Unfortunately it also could be a malignant mass. I would recommend having your vet take a look - they may want to take a sample using a small needle to help determine what it is.