My dog has a red, hard bump on his chest. Clean it or see a vet?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a bruise or a hot spot. If it does not bother Diesel at all and he is well in himself you could monitor him at home for 1-2 days. If it is a bruise or allergic reaction, it should go down without treatment. However, if it starts to bother your dog, please make an appointment with your local vets.

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.

This is most likely just an abrasion that your dog got from going up the tree. If the area is hot and/or swollen it may be infected and you would need to take your dog to the vet to get some antibiotics to help it clear up. If you do not think it is swollen you can try cleaning it daily with some dilute hydrogen peroxide and applying some antibiotic ointment on it. If you do this for several days and the area is still abnormal you may want to consider a trip to the vet. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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.

The region shown in the picture is consistent with a hotspot. Hot spots occur when an animal scratches or choose at an until damage is done to the skin. They can often progressbvery quickly and become quite severe if not treated. If the area is continuing to enlarge or if Garret seems uncomfortable I would recommend that you have him seen by your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may clip and clean the area and prescribe medications to help it heal. In the meantime I would recommend that you try to prevent Garret from scratching at the area. You can put a t-shirt on him to protect that area.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. Based on the pictures you provided, I suspect what you are seeing on Dede is what we call a sebaceous adenoma / cyst, which is benign. This type of skin mass is nothing to worry about but just monitor for the time being. These can become much larger and become infected on occasion, in which case they can be removed. You can also talk to your vet about freezing the mass off. Sometimes the freezing treatment may take 2 or 3 treatments before the mass falls off. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

It appears to be a cyst like lesion kind of like a pimple. Try squeezing it to get it to pop. Then rub it with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide. If it starts to get bigger (doubles in size) then take Parker to see a vet to examine it.