My dog has a soft, movable bump on her neck. Should I worry?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Layla. Poor girl! This lump could be a cyst, an abscess (a pocket of infection), a swelling from an injury, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Unfortunately without seeing her in person, I cannot say for certain what is causing her lump. 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. Give her vet a call in the morning to get her an appointment. I hope this helps!

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!

This bump looks like it could be a hair follicle or infection, insect bite, or a skin growth. If it is not going away in 5-7 days, seems to be growing larger, or if it seems painful or itchy you should have your vet examine Yogi.

It could be a cyst, a wart, or some other benign or malignant growth. The only way to know for certain what a bump is is to take a sample of cells with a needle or biopsy for examination under a microscope. If it seems to bother your dog or appears to be growing rapidly, be sure to have this lesion checked out in the next week or two. Otherwise, if your dog isn't bothered and the lesion doesn't seem to be changing much, I would recommend having it checked out by a vet in the next couple of months.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In theory this could be a growth but in reality that is unlikely just based on the size and general appearance. I would encourage you to check in with your veterinarian to check for this possibility so that therapy can be used accordingly. If it is just an infection, your veterinarian may put her on an anti-microbial shampoo. Best of luck!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign growth or a malignant growth such as a mast cell tumor, melanoma, among many other possibilities. I recommend you have Houdini 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.

This could be a benign tumor, but it is concerning that it's gotten bigger. 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 give Tavia's vet a call in the morning to make her an appointment. Best of luck.