My dog has a lump on his back. When should I be concerned?

Thank you for your question, and including a picture-this is very helpful. This little lump is likely something benign like a skin tag or similar, but I always recommend that if an owner notices changes in color, size or shape of a lump, especially if it is growing quickly, that it be evaluated by your veterinarian. If you are very concerned it would not be wrong to request that the lump be removed, then it can be submitted for review by a pathologist to let you know exactly what it is. You could always arrange to have Mieya's teeth cleaned at the same time, small breed dogs are prone to dental disease and this is a good age to start preventative dental care!

It is impossible to say definitively thwt the lumps are benign without examining and aspirating the masses. If we obtain cells from the lump and they are non-cancerous, I would not be concerned. However, even benign lumps can cause issues if they become ulcerated or continue to grow. Discuss removal vs. aspirated with your veterinarian.

If this little mass is not growing, changing shape or bothering your dog, then I would not worry about it. Should it start to grow, change shape or should she start to gnaw on it, have it checked out by your vet.

These skin lumps can arise from a few different causes and they are usually not a big concern. The first thing I would check is if Juna has had any vaccines or injections lately. These are often give in the back near the shoulder blades and can sometimes swell a bit. They also sometimes get these from bites or other trauma. In these cases, the lump is just some fluid buildup under the skin. These usually start going down within a couple of weeks. Other causes can be from a blocked gland, fly warble, abscess or a tumor. You can safely wait a week or two to see if it goes away on its own. If it continues to grow of doesn't go down, then it's best to take her into the vet to get it checked out.

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!

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.

This looks like a decent sized mass. It could be benign and nothing to worry about or it could be malignant. I would talk to your vet and ask them to get a sample to look at it under the microscope to ensure it doesn't need to be surgically removed. I hope this helps.