What is this skin lump on my dog, why is it there, and how can I help?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I suspect this is a granuloma or a skin mass. A visit at your local vets is recommended to make the definite diagnosis and to start treatment for your dog. Your vet may have to take a needle aspirate from the lump to find out what kind of growth it is. Alternatively, treatment with steroids and antiseptic solution could be trialed first. If the growth responds to the treatment, it would strongly point towards the diagnosis of granuloma.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing sounds as though this may be a cyst of some sort. However, I would be unable to confirm this with just a description. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the growth so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. The vet can insert a small needle into the mass and look at the fluid / cells under a microscope to help determine what it could be, a test called a fine needle aspirate with cytology. 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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be benign or malignant growths. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have your pup evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like you may have attempted to attach a photo to this question but there is nothing here for us to see. If the area is not bothering Coco, I recommend monitoring it for the next few days to see if it changes in size at all. If it remains the same or goes away, this is likely OK. The only way to know exactly what it is, is to have your veterinarian sample cells from this area and examine them under a microscope. I hope this is helpful!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly a lot of skin masses can look the same. It could be a Mast Cell tumor (which is a cancerous growth that should be removed and biopsied), a cyst, a histiocytoma (though he is a bit old for that, they end to occur in younger dogs). Any skin bumps that is new, rapidly grows, changes or is possibly infected should be checked by a Vet. They can decide whether it should be aspirated and sent to the lab or removed surgically to send the entire specimen for biopsy. I hope this helps and I wish Boston the very best!

I’m sorry you are having issues with Coco. This mass appears to have become wuite large and has started to necrose in the center. This will continue to get bigger and remain infected if it is not surgically removed. The only thing you can do is clean the surface, but that is really not very helpful. Coco should see your veterinarian ASAP to discuss surgery to remove this mass. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to see that your dog is getting these bumps. Any bump or mass on a dog should be examined by a veterinarian in person. Your vet can perform an exam and a fine-needle aspirate of the mass - where he/she uses a needle and syringe to sample cells from the mass and look at them under a microscope. This way, your veterinarian can determine what type of mass that is and then recommend treatment. I hope this is helpful!