My dog has a red lump on his genitals and hates the vet. What to do?

It's a little difficult to tell from your picture alone - being able to examine and touch a lump in person makes it much easier to determine what it is. This could be a skin tumor, a small abscess or inflammatory nodule, or a lesion from something like contact hypersensitivity. I would recommend having this lump examined by your veterinarian since it looks red and possibly like there is discharge. If he is licking or chewing at the lump you should put an e-collar on him until you can see a veterinarian. They may know what it is after being able to examine it or may recommend taking an aspirate sample using a small needle to look for cells under the microscope.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Thank you for the picture, that is more helpful. The lump doesn't look infected or like a wound, however these are still possible. The lump looks like it could be a bit of a blocked gland, a cyst, an abnormal wart, or a tumor is always possible as well as some tumors, especially Mast Cell tumors, can look like anything. I would recommend monitoring it for now, if it is bleeding, growing (or growing and shrinking), bothering Bogart (he is chewing/scratching at it), or if there is any discharge, then I would get it checked right away. Otherwise, I would wait a few weeks and see if it goes away on it's own. If it doesn't go away in a few weeks, then I would recommend having it removed by your vet and sent away for histopathology. Your vet might do an "FNA" (fine needle aspirate) prior to removing it to determine what it is. Best of luck with Bogart!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That area definitely looks like it needs to be removed. It likely has a poor blood supply and healing can be difficult. I recommend having it removed and have it sent to a pathologist to determine what it is. There is no way to know just by looking at it. I would see if you can move your vet appointment up to have the mass looked at sooner. When the skin is ulcerated like that, most pets won't leave it alone and it can get worse. I'm the meantime, you can wash it with a mild soap and water. Good luck and kisses to Jacks!

That looks like a tumor on Zzzz. Any red, raised masses need to be checked out and aspirated by your veterinarian. While several benign tumors can looks this way, there is a maliganant tumor called a Mast Cell Tumor which can also look like this. Aspirating the mass is the only way to know if it is cancerous and needs to be removed. Also keep your pet from licking at it as this could lead to infection. An Elizabethan collar worn at all times will help. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the pictures! Many skin masses can look the same. Red dermal masses, like this one, can be benign or malignant. Some possibilities are an inflamed sebaceous adenoma, hemangioma, histiocytoma or it could be a Mast Cell Tumor. Since it showed up quickly I would have Oscar seen by your Vet. They can decide if aspirating it (sticking it with a needle and sending the slides to the lab) or removing the mass and sending it for biopsy is best. I hope this helps and I wish you and Oscar the best!

This looks like either a cyst or a papilloma wart. Both very common and benign. Unfortunately, our system is having a glitch and I can't enlarge the photo so I can't get a great look but I'm pretty confident it's not much to be concerned with. Personally, I would not be worried about it at all. Just point it out to your vet at Gizmo's next exam.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dexter. I agree, that is concerning that this hard lump is now bleeding, and this lump could be something serious. It could be a hemangiosarcoma (malignant) or hermangioma (benign), which are tumors that develop from blood vessels and look like a blood blister. Given his age, there is a chance it could be another type of malignant tumor, like a mast cell tumor, but it could also be benign. Unfortunately without seeing him in person, I cannot say for certain. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!