My dog's paw lump keeps returning. Should I get a second opinion?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry Mia is having this issue. If this was a simple injury surely it would have healed by now. The fact that it has been going for a year and is growing, I would recommend you have it surgically removed and sent off to a lab for histopathology. Due to the location of this mass, if it gets much larger it will be harder to remove as there is not a lot of extra skin to close a large incision in that area. This is just my opinion. What the mass actually is though, I cannot say just by looking at a photo. It may be benign but it could also be malignant. The histopathology will tell which it is. It could also be that she has a foreign body (maybe a splinter or something) under the skin that is festering so this may not be a mass at all. It is really difficult for me to say just by looking at the photo. It is a possibility however, I would have expected it to cause more of an infection by now if that was the case. Still a possibility though. You are always welcome to get a second opinion by another vet that can examine her in person. Remember, you know Mia best and need to be her advocate. If you are uncomfortable or have a bad feeling about something then voice those concerns. In my opinion it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you are worried then removing the mass is the best option. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Lumps can be caused by many different things including cysts, tumors (different types of cancers), warts, foreign objects stuck under the skin, abnormal bone growth (usually from a previous injury), hyperkeratosis (abnormal nail growth), a pressure point, etc. I recommend a visit to the vet, if it isn't an obvious pressure point/callus, then I would recommend taking a biopsy and having that sent away to determine exactly what it is. Another option, if it has been present for a year and is unchanging, and if it isn't bothering Ringo, is to just monitor it, and get it sampled if it changes. Best of luck with Ringo!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bayley! If the CT scan showed a possible foreign body and the lump significant decreased I would go for the surgery. The only way you are going to know and possibly fix this permanently is to try. I know is is hard to make the decision and scary to put our pets under anesthesia for surgery, but I think it is the only option you have left at this point. The Vet will likely approach it as an enbloc mass removal. Likely to remove the entire swelling and then open it up. If no splinter is found then they should biopsy the tissue. If Bayley did well with anesthesia for the CT scan then she should do well for this. I wish you both the very best!

It could have an allergic component or be an interdigital cyst. A closer physical exam and possibly x-rays of the paw would be recommended. Ruling out a foreign body (grass seed, awn, foxtail, etc) or tumor would also be recommended. If your veterinarian will not pursue a more definitive diagnosis, consider a different vet in the practice or a different clinic entirely. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials and even antihistamine use with the vet. It looks like Cleo will need antibiotics once again anyway. Use an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking which can delay healing and may introduce infection.

There are a few different things this can be on MIlly. It can be a Foreign body, so something punctured the skin and is still inside. It can be a growth but if this has gone away and came back it is less likely. It can also be an abscess or just inflammation. I would place on elizabethan collar on Milly until you can get her to a veterinarian, but this does need to be seen by a vet. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

At. This point, I would surgically explore that lesion. There may be a foreign body in there, there may be a small mass or tumor inside, but at least it should be surgically debrided. Debriding it will remove all of the dead necrotic tissue. It should be kept clean by doing daily bandage changes and your pet likely needs a different antibiotic. If this was a routine infection that was responsive to Cephalexin, it would be better by now.

Given Rambo's age, it is less likely that he has a growth or mass of serious concern. However, without a fine needle aspirate or a biopsy of the lesion it is impossible to know. Given its appearance in the pictures, it looks like it was likely either some type of tumor or cyst that underwent too much pressure from fluid build up, and subsequently ruptured. In terms of treatment, you are doing most everything you can at home already. Some recommendations though: I would not use peroxide as this can actually delay the healing process I would not keep the area covered too closely or tightly as this can encourage reinfection I would instead place a cone or collar on Rambo to prevent licking or self-mutiation, as this still allows the area to be open to the air. In terms of what to do next or how to find out what you are seeing, you can do two different things. The first is simply wait and see what happens when the area heals. If it never grows back, great new! The second option would be to take him to the vet and try to obtain a sample for analysis. You can also wait to do this if you want when and if the lesion grows back.