My dog has a soft head lump that swells and shrinks. What to do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think you should have this checked. The fact that it was previously known to be benign, does not mean that now it cannot be malignant. If it has gotten bigger, it would be great to sample it again. I recommend you have Lily evaluated by your veterinarian for a test called fine needle aspirate which is an easy, quick and pain-free procedure which in the majority of cases will help reach a diagnosis to identify what the best course of action is based on the findings. In some cases, a biopsy is needed for a diagnosis. If it truly is benign then removal is not necessarily recommended. However, if it is malignant and it has not spread to other locations, then surgical removal is recommended. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign.

Since we can't look up your previous posts, I don't know exactly what is going on in Mia's situation. However, if the lump appears to have gotten smaller, then I think it is ok to watch and see what happens over 24 hours. If it gets bigger or appears to cause Mia discomfort, then she should be checked out by a vet.

Marley could have a seroma which is a fluid-filled pocket that goes away with time. However, since he recently had surgery, it is best to have your veterinarian look at it to make sure there is no further treatment needed.

The best thing to do since it does not bother him is monitor the growth. If it changes or get larger or seems painful then I would have it checked immediately. If it does not go away after 2 months then I would have it checked. It may be a cyst or abscess or tumor.

Well that's pretty odd! It could be a bug bug, a minor trauma outside while running around (so basically a big blood blister), or even the start of hives from an allergic reaction (but it would be an usual hive). A mass wouldn't show up so quickly. I would recommend monitoring Reggie closely for the next few hours to make sure it's not getting worse. If no changes, call your vet in the morning to schedule an appointment, but if keeps getting bigger or you notice any more changes in Reggie, head to an emergency clinic.

Many benign tumors will grow slowly over time. I always recommend repeating a fine needle aspirate if a mass grows quickly, changes texture or becomes red or painful. It does not sound like any of those things have occurred with Toodles, but I would certainly contact your vet to let them know that the mass has grown slightly, so they can look at the results of the previous aspirate and decide if there is any reason to repeat an aspirate of the mass. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

First, great pictures and highlighting of the lump! This appears to be a fluid-filled lump. Usually puppies get these when they bang their head on something and then fluid accumulated under the skin. However, I do worry about congenital defects that could cause accumulation of CNS fluid under the skin. If Thor is otherwise acting and looking normal, then either way, it's not an emergency. If he is acting weird, then best to have a veterinarian check him out. If it was just a bump, then the swelling will start going down within a couple of days. If it continues to grow, then it would be concerning enough to make an appointment with a vet. An easy way to detect growth or shrinking is to draw around the edge to the swelling with a magic marker. It will look silly, but it's really easy to tell if the border of the swelling has moved. I hope this helps.