My dog has a painful head lump & lost weight. Is it urgent?

Please have her checked by your vet as soon as possible. This is not normal and although any lumps are concerning, any that are painful or rapidly growing are very suspicious for underlying issues such as cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment is vital to improve outcomes and reduce undue pain and discomfort.

It does not appear to be actively bleeding or infected so as long as it is not causing her pain or discomfort (reduced appetite, crying if handled, avoiding being petted) then I would happy it would be stable to wait overnight

Unknown lumps and bumps are virtually impossible to diagnose without, at the very least, a visual inspection of the area. As such, I will provide you with some general information. An unknown mass or lump is typically one of the following: a cystic (fluid filled) structure, an abscess (fluid-filled, but infected), a mass / tumor, an allergic reaction / insect bite, or the result of a traumatic injury. A thorough physical exam and inspection of the affected area would be needed in order to determine which is most likely. In many instances, a needle aspirate (small amount of fluid obtained from the lesion and placed on a microscope slide) or tissue biopsy would be required to obtain a definitive diagnosis as to the type of lesion. If this is not an option, one must consider the location, distribution, duration of onset, patient breed / age / sex, and a variety of other factors. As Foxy is a younger dog, it is less likely that she would have a malignant tumor on her body than if she was elderly. You mentioned that the lesion is soft - this is typically a good sign that she is dealing with something benign or harmless. Whether or not this mass has anything to do with the weight loss is very difficult to say. I would recommend you make a regular appointment to see your vet and have her assessed as a whole. Hope this makes sense.

As long as she is otherwise acting ok, it is not growing rapidly, and/or has a discharge then you could wait and take her this weekend. Your vet can do a needle aspirate to help determine the cause and determine if the lump needs to be removed or treated.

Weight loss can be caused by many problems. A few of these include parasites, diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer. I would certainly be worried about the lump on her side and whether or not it is associated with why she is losing weight. I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. They will likely recommend blood work to help determine why she is losing weight as well as sample the lump to find out if it is anything concerning. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi Sinead! The answer to your question depends on a few things. If the lump has come up suddenly, it has been getting bigger by the day, it bothers her, and/or she has had changes in behavior such as eating less, vomiting, and lethargy, then yes I would take her into an ER vet. If this lump on Roxt isn't bothering her, it doesn't get any bigger, and she's acting normally, then it's fine to wait until next week. Good luck, I hope this helps!

There can be several causes of a lump like this, including a seroma or hematoma from hitting her head on something, an abscess or infection, an enlarged lymph node or salivary gland (if the lump is lower toward the jaw), a tumor or cyst, among a few others. Since some of these issues need veterinary care to resolve, I would recommend that Fifi get checked out by a vet. After physical examination, the vet may recommend a needle aspirate and microscopic exam or x-rays to see what the cause of the lump could be.