My dog has a red, hairless, growing, discharging bump. What is it?

I recommend to have Lola examined by her veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. An infection is also possible. Your veterinarian may need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. Have this checked out soon.

That mass could be several things. Red raised hairless masses can be benign growths such as warts, histiocytomas, reactions or infected hair follicles. They can unfortunately also be malignant grows such as Mast Cell Tumor or Plasmacytoma. I would recommend to have it checked out by the vet who may be better able to tell how concerned you should be by palpating the mass and the surrounding lymphnodes. The good news is that the majority of masses are benign but it's always better to be safe. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. Dogs can get all kinds of skin masses as well as things like pimples and ingrown hairs. Most of these lesions will be benign but a few will be cancerous. Unfortunately, you can't always tell from looks alone. If the bump doesn't seem to hurt or bother Bentley, you might try applying a warm (not hot) compress every couple hours for 10 minutes. If this is an ingrown hair or pimple, this might help it to come to a head. If it seems to bother him, have him examined. If the bump is still there in 2 weeks, I'd go ahead and have Bentley examined. There's one type of skin cancer called a Mast Cell Tumor and they commonly look red/pink, hairless and raised. If the doctor is concerned, they'll test it. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

I recommend to have Cash examined by the veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. This mass could also be a benign Histiocytoma. Unfortunately, they look alike. Your veterinarian will need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. Protect the area from itching with a dog shirt and he shoudl wear an elizabethan collar at all times if he can reach the area. If it is a Histiocytoma, sometimes inject steroid into the lesion can cause it to shrink and stop itching. Have this checked out soon.

Hello and thank you for your question. I recommend to have your pup examined by the veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red/pink raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. This cancer can spread to the internal organs. Your veterinarian will need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. Have this checked out soon. Fingers crossed this is not a MCT and is something benign instead but you can't tell by looks. I hope this helps.

There are a few possibilities as to what this could be on Ruby. In a younger dog benign masses called histocytomas are possible. These generally regress with time. However, masses like mast cell tumors can also present this way. Mast cell tumors can be problematic and need to be surgically removed. Mast cell tumors also release histamine so please do not continue to try to squeeze this growth. Some other causes of this (although probably less likely) are cysts or infections. I recommend taking Ruby to see your veterinarian so that a sample of cells from the mass can be obtained. This will help in diagnosing the growth and in deciding if it needs to be removed surgically. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope this turns out to be a benign issue for Ruby.

Without further testing, there is no way to tell if this growth is a malignant (cancerous) type that can spread elsewhere and/ or invade the healthy tissue around them, or a more benign (noncancerous) type that is unlikely to spread. In some cases abscesses can form due to infection, or bumps can form due to trauma/pressure on the area or due to allergies, but in this case the picture appears to be a raised mass of some sort. I recommend making an appointment to see your vet to have the growth tested. In many cases this can be done using a fine needle aspirate, where cells are removed from the growth using a needle and examined under a microscope to determine what it is and to guide treatment. In some cases further testing may be needed to determine the necessary course of treatment, but it is important to get new growths tested in a timely manner, as some can be cancerous and quite aggressive in their growth, and growths due to infection, allergy or trauma can lead to complications or be indicators of underlying health problems. In the meantime, if Rudy begins licking the area, make sure he wears a “cone” (also known as an e-collar or Elizabethan collar) at all times when he is not being directly supervised by you, including while sleeping to help prevent infection.