My Lab has a leg lump. Vet says no surgery. Need a second opinion?

This could be a seroma from an injury, a cyst, abscess or a tumor. Cysts and abscesses need to be drained by a vet. If your vet suspects a tumor, he will do a fine needle aspirate to determine whether it is a harmless lipoma, which does not need to be removed unless it is ulcerating or bothers the dog due to its location or size, or another tumor that needs to be removed. Please make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the mass.

Without a physical exam or diagnostics, it is difficult to determine if this is something to worry over. Ideally, a fine needle aspirate or biopsy should be done to collect samples for pathology. This may provide a diagnosis. X-rays of the limb may be recommended to rule out bony involvement. Since you state it is growing, it should be removed before it becomes too large. As it is, that is a difficult area to close after a mass removal.

The problem with big lumps is that they get affect her movement. Without seeing Bell in person, I can't say for certain what I would do, but personally I would recommend having them removed before they get bigger. You can take her into another vet to get a second opinion. I hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. 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 day!

Poor Abby! This is likely just a benign tumor but since it is growing I would have your vet take a look at it when they reopen next. I have seen some tumors that look benign that are actually cancerous. Your vet will be able to determine what type of tumor it is and whether or not it needs to be surgically removed. I hope this helps!

No, surgery is the only way to remove Jack's lipoma. If your vet has already aspirated the mass to examine the cells under the microscope and finds that it has not been growing dramatically, monitoring at home can be quite reasonable for many lipomas. If the lipoma begins growing quickly, bleeds, or seems to limit Jack's movement, surgery would likely be beneficial.

Tucker likely has a localized infection or perhaps a skin tumor. The good news is that its most likely benign. Rarely, young dogs can get a malignant tumor called a mast cell tumor so I would recommend to have the area examined by a veterinarian to be sure. The doctor may recommend to take a small sample of cells to make sure its nothing to be concerned about.