My dog has a soft, leaking lump near his bum. What should I do?

Hi, and thanks for your question. Although a picture of it would help to give you a more specific answer, this lump/bump/growth should be ideally examined by your local vet to have a diagnosis established. Your vet may want to perform an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy to sample the bump and determine its underlying nature. Differentials would include skin cysts, infections, benign or more malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It sounds like this is likely to be a cyst of some kind, but could also be an abscess, localized skin infection or some other type of skin growth - pus from an abscess would usually have an odor to it, but not always. You can clean the area thoroughly with warm water and soap, and it's fine to use topical antibiotic ointment like Neosporin as well. But in order to find out for sure what it is and get it treated more effectively, you will need to take your dog to a vet for an exam. He/she can take a sample of the white substance for analysis to help determine what it is, and will advise you based on the results whether it needs to be treated with oral antibiotics or other medication, or if it needs to be surgically removed.

Mooshu needs to be examined by the veterinarian. A wound like this is generally an abscessed anal gland or a ruptured tumor. These lesions require care only a vet is generally able to provide. You need to stop Mooshu from licking the wound by having him wear an elizabethan collar at all times because the licking may make it worse. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I do recommend having him evaluated. He may have a ulcer or wound there, but there is more serious disease known as a perianal fistula. You will want him to receive treatment and ensure this is not the case. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him if he is trying to lick the area. I hope this information helps!

It could be a cyst, mass, or pustule. Have your vet take a look at it to determine the best way to treat. She may need an antibiotic to treat an infection and/or it may need to be removed. Your vet can do an aspirate to help diagnose.

I am afraid I cannot see a lump on this photo, however if you can feel a lump near the anus it is likely a full or impacted anal sac. *You may need to take your dog to a vet to have it expressed, if he is bothered by it. Usually dogs start scooting on the floor when they have a bothersome anal sac.

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.