My dog's paw has a painful brown bump. What is this tender red spot?

The bump you are seeing could be a mass, or it could be a skin lesion caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, or could be a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have your dog seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the bump you’ve noticed and to make sure it is treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine what is causing the bump and to provide treatment. . In the meantime, if he is licking the area, I recommend putting an e-collar/cone on him to help prevent licking and reduce the risk of infection.

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. Common tumors in this region include melanomas, squamous cell carcinomas, mast cell tumors and soft tissue sarcomas, among others. 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 him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

That looks like an infection. It could be bacterial, mites, allergies, a foreign body in the skin or yeast infection. At home you can wash it daily with an antibacterial soap (rinse it well). Make sure he is not licking or scratching it (use an elizabethan collar if needed). If it is not getting better or if it is getting worse within a week, then take him into the vet for an exam. I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear about Bubba! A photo of the paw may help us to better answer your question! One possible cause would be a histiocytoma https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952066 . I would recommend having your vet examine the area to determine if it is something requiring treatment or something that can just be monitored.

This looks like a severe hotspot but it could also be a foreign body such as a grass seed for example, that entered the skin and is causing this reaction, i would recommend getting it checked and treated by your vet as soon as you can.

This isn’t a pimple. It is a small mass in the top layer of the skin. It could be a cyst, a wart, or a benign or cancerous growth. The only way to know for sure is to have your vet collect a sample with a needle to examine under a slide or to remove the whole mass and send it to the lab for evaluation. Until that happens, you can watch it for changes in size, color, texture, etc. If you notice any changes, I would call your vet to see if they can get you in sooner.

Ouch! With any new growth like this, it's best to have your vet take a look in person, as it isn't really possible to determine what is causing the growth just from a photo. Your vet can take a sample of the growth as needed with a fine-needle aspirate, or biopsy, to check what cell type is present and if the spot needs further attention. Other causes can be calluses from rubbing, scabbing from a wound or infection under the skin, or other issues. Until you can get to the vet, it's best to keep the area clean and dry and prevent Ginger from licking or chewing at it with an Elizabethan (cone) collar or sock over the spot. Monitoring it for any additional changes such as size, oozing debris, pain, etc, is also a good idea as these observations can help your vet narrow down the cause and best treatment plan.