My toy poodle has a red, hard, itchy cheek bump with a black dot. What now?

This may be a pimple (little abscess), cyst or a tumor. You should have it examined by your veterinarian as tumors should be removed ASAP. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. Your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning. Since this is obviously bothering your dog (it looks like Bentley is licking it), I would have this examined very soon.

Hi there. It's impossible to say for sure without seeing the growths you're talking about, but the most common skin growths on older toy poodles are sebaceous adenomas - these look like small, raised, irregular pink growths on the skin. These are not "warts," which have a different underlying cause altogether - they are benign tumors arising from oil glands in the skin. There is no medical way to get rid of them - the only thing that can be done is surgical removal by your veterinarian. I would recommend having your vet take a look at these growths to see if they are indeed sebaceous adenomas or something else. He/she can advise you on treatment options, and whether surgical removal would be recommended or not, depending on what is found.

This may be a little abscess, a cyst or a tumor (warts are benign tumors, btw.). You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Wapoo. It is difficult to say what the bump may be without seeing a picture. If it is on the skin, it may be a wart type growth. Bumps under the skin can be cysts, fatty tumors, infections or other types of skin tumors. A lot of times a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate is performed by the veterinarian. This is where a small needle is used to collect a sample of cells. The cells are evaluated under the microscope to determine the type of mass. With this information, your veterinarian can make a recommendation as far as if treatment is needed or not. I hope this information helps!

Unfortunately, without physically examining the area and potentially performing some diagnostics, I can't say for sure what sort of lesion that is. At first glance, it looks like something that could have been self-induced due to a primary issue causing itchiness. You should probably schedule a veterinary appointment and in the meantime get a cone to prevent your pup come itching the area further. If you do not believe your pup is itchy, then I would be more concerned about some sort of animal bite or bacterial infection. Hope this makes sense.

This could be a severely abscessed anal gland/sac or a tumor or a perineal hernia. This can only be diagnosed with a hands-on exam. You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a hernia may have to be fixed surgically. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be an abscess. 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 him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!