My dog has a red swollen lump. Is it serious or will it go away?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Frank. This lump could have become red and swollen from him scratching at it, and it may now be irritated. 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. I would take him into a vet tomorrow to get the lump looked at and to get the cause of his scratching diagnosed so he can be treated. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lee! Based on your photo is appears to be either a pyoderma (skin infection) or a hot spot (superficial skin infection). Because it is getting worse quickly, make an appointment tomorrow to get your Vet to look at ti. They will likely prescribe antibiotics, something for the itch, and maybe a topical. Good luck!

It sounds as though this lump bothers Avery quite a bit since he keeps licking it. The lump could be caused by a benign or malignant mass, cyst, etc. and may have become infected due to Avery's licking. At this point, there isn't anything that you can do at home. A vet should examine Avery and will likely need to perform a fine needle aspirate (using a needle to draw out a few cells from the mass - it's quick and relatively painless!) so that the sample can be examined microscopically. From there, Avery may need oral antibiotics to treat any infection. Until you can take him to the vet, put an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking and irritation of the lump. Try to avoid putting any additional hydrogen peroxide on the lump, as repeated use can delay healing. I hope that he's on the mend soon!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Chewy. Poor boy, that is quite a bump. That looks pretty red and irritated, and I see he's missing fur around it, which tells me he's been licking the area a lot. It's clearly bothering him. This could be a cyst, an abscess, or it could potentially be a growth that is either benign or malignant. I don't like the appearance of it, and think it's best you take him into a vet today to get this diagnosed. Once it's diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options. I hope this helps!

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be infection or mites.

First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation.

 If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy.

 Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollins, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

The photos are a bit grainy but I think what I am seeing is a lump that looks like a histiocytoma. It usually will go away on it's own within a few weeks to months. I suggest you leave it alone. If it bothers him or doesn't go away then you should have your vet take a look at it. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952066 )

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture, this could be a mass of some type or due to an insect bite. If this does not resolve within 24-48 hours, then I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. 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.