My German Shepherd has a soft, movable lump on his rear knee. Serious?

I would have this lump on Jake examined by a vet. It could be a cyst, a benign tumor, or potentially a malignant tumor. 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 it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I'd recommend having Jake seen by a vet tomorrow to have the lump examined and diagnose so it can be treated as needed.

I'm sorry to hear this is happening. Unfortunately, bone cancer tends to be aggressive. I would recommend first having radiographs done to verify that a tumor is present. If there is in fact bone cancer, talk to her vet to see if surgery makes sense. Many times these tumors have already spread by the time clinical signs show up. The lump could have other origins as well so the first step is to find out what it is. I hope this helps!

It is probably a spindle cell tumor and should be removed. There is no way to know if it is malignant or benign without doing a histopathology on the mass after it is removed. I suggest you have this done while the mass is still relatively small and hopefully non-invasive into the underlying tissues. ( http://www.michigananimalhospital.com/page/468687590 )

It may be an ulcerated growth from a pressure sore if he seems to lay on that side more. If there is a discharge then it is likely infected and will need antibiotics. Your vet can sample some cells and see if it is a growth or a pressure sore and advise if surgery is recommended in that area

Hi, It looks to me as though Shadow may have a hygroma. This is a false bursa that develops over bony prominences, commonly the elbow, due to repeated trauma from pressure points while lying down on or hitting the elbows on hard surfaces. This repeated trauma creates an inflammatory response, which results in a dense-walled, fluid-filled cavity. Overtime, severe inflammation may develop, and ulceration, infection, even abscesses can form on the hygroma. To prevent this from getting worse, provide plenty of soft padding and soft bedding for Shadow to have to prevent more trauma to the area. In minor cases even elbow pads can be bought for dogs. For severe cases, surgeries can be performed to try to cosmetically fix the area after flushing, draining and repairing the areas. Hope this helps! -Dr. Gordon

With Artu being young and the location of this mass being on or around the face, statistically speaking this is most likely a benign lesion. The first one that comes to mind is known as a histiocytoma, something that is not a concern and will often resolve spontaneously even if left to its own devices. Getting the cytology sent out to the lab is definitely the way to go in order to be sure it isn't anything more harmful that requires immediate attention. Though you indicated the area is non-painful and he does not seem negatively effective systemically, this is not necessarily an indication of Artu's overall health relating to this lesion. There are certainly other types of lesions that can occur in young animals that are concerning, some of which come to mind include mast cell tumors and/or melanomas. However, these would be less likely. Hope this makes sense.

I would recommend a vet visit. The vet can do a needle aspirate and take a look at the cells. While this may be a location for a lymph node it does not necessarily have to be lymphoma. Enlarged lymph nodes may be due to cancer, or inflammation or infection. Or it's possible it's not a lymph node and may be another type of mass or swelling. I recommend a vet visit to try to see what is swollen and why.