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Worried about my dog's red, hard bump on his inner thigh. What is it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 2 years and 7 months old

What is going on with bears inner thigh? I am worried about him. It’s kind of small , red and kind of hard almost like a cyst. it bothers him a little bit

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Oneal Bogan, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 16th, 2018

Hi there.

Bumps like the one on Bear could be a few different things. Sometimes there can be a thorn or something else stuck beneath the skin causing the bump. It could also be a skin growth, examples of these are things like epitheliomas, mast cell tumors and lipomas. Because it's red and is causing him some irritation, I would recommend having your veterinarian check the bump. They may suggest doing a fine needle aspirate of the bump, which collects cells from within the bump to help diagnose what it is. It's not an emergency, but I would have it checked when you can.

I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

5Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on February 9th, 2019
This could be a growth, from an injury, an infection, or a foreign body. This is definitely something that needs to be checked out by a vet, so I'd have Max seen by one in the next few days. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Catherine Stecyk
Veterinarian
Published on July 6th, 2018
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It could definitely be a small bug bite, or even a pimple or an ingrown hair, although it doesn’t look very inflamed. Since he was recently groomed, he could have gotten knicked by the clippers in that area, making it slightly reddened. As long as he doesn’t seem bothered by it and it isn’t painful to the touch, and he is otherwise healthy, I don’t think he needs to go to the vet right now. I would recommend monitoring the spot to see if it changes in appearance at all (color, size) or if more spots appear anywhere on his body. If this occurs, Cash may need to be evaluated by a veterinarian who can examine the spot more closely and determine if it has become infected. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on November 20th, 2020
I'd keep an eye on this area for now, it doesn't look too big or red in the pictures. It may be an area of irritation but it can be a sign of a skin infection. Should this area get redder, bigger, Ava has hair loss, or it starts to bother her, have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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What's this bump on my dog's inner thigh? Should I be concerned?

Hello, sorry to hear about Bear. Its difficult to tell exactly what that is without looking at the structure and what makes up the little nodule. That is, the cells forming the little nodule would need to be evaluated to tell exactly what that is. Given that it is a small area, it could be removed and submitted to biopsy to determine the cellular make up. Alternatively, you can monitor to see if the nodule resolves. If it goes away within a few days, then this is likely nothing of big concern. More severe things this could represent such as cancerous tumor can begin by looking like this. If this is indeed something more aggressive, then it may continue to grow and get worse. If so, then this should definitely be evaluated by their veterinarian. Please keep a close eye on this nodule, it should begin to improve within a few days, otherwise have your this further evaluated by your veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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My dog has a painful red bump with pus on his back. What to do?

If there is pus coming out of it, I would be inclined to think that this bump on Bear is an abscess. It would cause him pain, and also cause him to be lethargy. I would take him into a vet either now or first thing in the morning to have this bump examined. If it is an abscess, it will need to be drained and flushed sterilely, and he will need antibiotics to treat the infection.

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What are these red bumps on my puppy's inner thigh? Should I worry?

Hi there and thank you for using our consultation service. I really appreciate your providing us with pictures. The good news is that those bumps or lumps are not an emergency situation right now. as long as your dog is eating and drinking completely normal, I would just simply alert the owner of the dog of these bumps. tell them that this could be possible dermatitis or growths that need to be checked by better near in as soon as they have time. I would urge them to not wait longer than one week after the owner gets home to take them to the vet for a complete dermatological examination. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope I have given you some help.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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