What's this painless fluid lump on my dog's neck and shoulders?

This lump could be a cyst or an abscess. I recommend taking Roxy into the vet tomorrow for an exam. The vet can do a physical exam, and can do a fine needle aspirate on the lump. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. If it is a cyst, it will need to be drained, and it may need to be removed in order to keep it from returning. An abscess will require it to be drained and flushed sterilely, and she would need antibiotics to treat the infection.

If you're concerned enough about it the best course of action is to have it checked out/tested to see if it's a cyst or something else, especially if it is bothersome or growing in size. Unfortunately, without testing the site, it would be impossible to tell what it is just from looking at it. If you're having trouble affording care, this site may help give you some options to make it more affordable: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I suspect this could be an abscess but could be a tumor or inflammation. I would recommend having the veterinarian examine Rascal. I would recommend having a needle inserted into the area to see what material is present in the swollen region. The vet can then look under the microscope at the cells that were obtained from the affected area and make the best recommendation for treatment based on this result. I would also recommend that Rascal be placed on anti-inflammatory and antibiotic therapy. I hope this helps and hope that Rascal gets better soon! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It could be a salivary cyst but abscesses in this area are much more common. Please, take Martha to your local vets to confirm the diagnosis and to start treatment for her. If it is an abscess, Martha will need a course of antibiotics and possibly lancing of the abscess. If it is salivary gland cyst, your vet will likely recommend surgery as conservative treatment for salivary cysts does not provide satisfactory results.

This could be an abscess or fluid pocket or just a swelling. I suggest you have this examined by a veterinarian. It will need to be drained by a vet if an abscess. Excessive swelling in this area could also be caused by muscle damage or similar conditions. Your puppy would then need anti-inflammatory medications, possibly pain medication and other medications depending on the cause.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly an abscess. I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. If confirmed to be an abscess this is usually treated by drainage and flushing of the abscess as well as antibiotics. This usually resolves uneventfully. Good luck and have a good night!

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.