Should I worry about lumps on my dog after she lost pregnancy weight?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Without seeing Genesis it's hard to say. If the lumps are symmetric and soft, it is likely fatty subcutaneous tissue. Like "love handles" in people. Again, without seeing her I can't say that for sure but this is a common area where fat is stored on dogs and owners commonly are worried about it. The best diagnosis is having a vet stick a needle in it and look at the cells under a microscope. I hope this helps! Kisses to Genesis!

Hello. If Scarlett has 2 lumps pretty much over each hip, & with Scarlett being a slightly older dog, then my guess is she has "love handles". If Scarlett is also a little overweight, the hips are a common place for some fat to accumulate. Rest assured that tumors rarely happen in the same area on both sides of the body, & since your vet is rather unconcerned, then it sounds like Scarlett is fine. If you are really concerned, you can ask your veterinarian to do a fine needle aspirate in which a very small needle is used to remove a drop or 2 of sample from under the lumps. A quick look will tell if there are any concerns. I hope this helps & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be an abscess or possibly a pulled muscle or inflammation. An exam would definitely be needed to know for sure what this is. I would highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Hopefully this is nothing serious. Best of luck!

It depends a little on where these are and what they feel like. I am assuming under the skin if felt but not seen. If they are back in the groin/where the leg and groin meet and are on opposite sides from each other then they may be inguinal lymph nodes. If this is the case, especially if you're finding any other lymph node enlargement (the ones under the jaw are the easiest for owners to find), I would have your girl checked out by your vet. If these are just lumps under the skin they likely represent of mass of some sort. Are they freely moveable? There are several different types of masses that dogs can get under their skin, some more concerning than others. A very common benign tumor is a fatty tumor called a lipoma, but as other more concerning tumors can feel the same as a lipoma, I typically recommend that all masses be evaluated with needle cytology to know for sure. This is a simple procedure that your family vet can perforn. If fat is noted from this needle aspiration then no treatment other than monitoring is needed. If you elect to monitor for a while at home, and don't think that these are lymph nodes, just make sure that you're not noticing growth or a change in texture or the ability to move the mass around. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. This is probably benign mammary hyperplasia, but you do want to have this looked at, especially if she has been spayed. If she has not been spayed & has never been with a male dog, then this could be related to a false pregnancy. Also, has she been in contact with anyone who is on hormone replacement therapy? Sometimes, this can rub off on a pet & cause mammary enlargement. If no outside cause can be found, then have her spayed if that has not already been done, & submit a biopsy to see exactly what is going on with the tissue. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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