My dog has a skin bump for weeks, acting perfectly normal. What is it?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the pictures! My hope, since Sophie is young, that the bump is a histiocytoma. These are benign bumps that are button-like, red, and hairless that can be seen in young dogs. They usually go away on their one in 2-3 months. Sometimes they ulcerate as they regress. If it gets larger, starts bothering Sophie or doesn’t go away in 2-3 months then you should have Sophie looked at by a Vet. There are other skin masses that can look like that, some are benign but there are ones that are also cancerous. I hope this helps and I wish Sophie the best!

A lesion like that could be several things including an ingrown hair, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection or a skin tumor/mass. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion once a day (not her whole body, just the lesion). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion does not start improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, thank you for your question about Sky. Based on the photo you've attached it is possible that this lesion is secondary to a blood blister or cyst-like lesion. It could also be a mild skin infection. Dogs can develop skin masses/tumors such as mast cell tumors. I would recommend having Sky seen by your veterinarian so that they can examine the area and discuss the need for additional testing such as an impression of the area or collecting a small needle sample. Hope this helps!

This looks like a typica skin wart/skin tumor or cyst. Since it has been present for so long and has not grown at all, it is probably benign (non cancerous). It looks as if the area has been irritated somehow, probably by your dog scratching at it, and is now bleeding and may be infected. Or, if it is a cyst, the white material may just be cystic exudate. I would recommend cleaning the area with some dilute hydrogen peroxide then applying some antibiotic ointment to help prevent infection and to help it heal more quickly. Occasionally these need to be removed but only if they are a constant source of irritation or infection for the dog. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

This looks like a benign skin growth that got scraped. It is now irritated and bloody from the injury. I’m glad you took a photo. I would measure it also and then check it weekly to see if it’s enlarging or appears more irritated. If it changes it should be surgically removed and biopsied. It looks like it’s only in the skin so it should be easy to remove as there is plenty of loose skin in the area to close the incision. You can clean it with hydrogen peroxide and then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it to prevent infection. From the photo it doesn’t look like anything to be overly concerned about. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chloe.

It is hard to tell from the photo the characteristics of this bump. I would say it is possible it is related to trauma and I would monitor for now but it could also be a tumor (either benign or malignant). My recommendation would be to monitor it for the next 24 to 48 hours, and if it is still there in the same size or it is bigger I would have a veterinarian examin the area. Further testing might need to be considered such as taking a sample of the mass and sending it out for interpretation at the laboratory. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have

This could be a benign growth, a cyst, or it may be from a foreign body that has lodged in Luna's foot. I do think it's worth getting checked out by a vet, but it's not an emergency. Give her vet a call to see when you can get her in to get it examined. I hope this helps!