My dog has a soft sac below his anus. Should I worry if it doesn't hurt?

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.

This could be a severely abscessed anal gland/sac or a tumor or a perineal hernia. This can only be diagnosed with a hands-on exam. You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a hernia may have to be fixed surgically. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

I am sorry Bailey is not feeling well. I would recommend taking him to a veterinarian to have the rectum area examine. A blood filled sac is never considered normal and in an older patient could be many things. An infection, trauma, cancers and non cancerous masses can occur around the rectum area.

I would recommend that you have it checked out by a vet. From just your description, what you may be seeing could be a perianal fistula, an abscess, and infected anal gland, a rectal prolapse, a wound caused by scooting or excessive licking, etc. Prevent Roscoe from licking, and if you see him scooting then he may need to wear a doggie diaper to prevent further damage to the area. If you can take a picture and attach it to a new post, we may be able to help you a bit more.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These look classic for perianal gland tumors. This is very common in intact dogs. The majority of these tumors are benign though a small percentage of them are malignant. I recommend you take him to your veterinarian for a test called a fine needle aspirate which can help distinguish these tumors from other more concerning tumors. If it truly is a perianal gland tumor, most of the time they resolve or greatly improved by neutering the dog as they are driven by hormones. If they are not bothering him, this may be enough. In cases when they are starting to bother the dog, you can also consider removal. Feel free to request a consult with me if wanting more information on the next steps. Good luck with your pup!

It is hard to tell for sure by the pictures, but my suspicion would be that it is either a perianal tumor that has bled, or potentially a ruptured anal sac abscess. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. If it is an abscess then antibiotics will likely be needed. If it is a tumor then the veterinarian can discuss options with you. Often perianal tumors are benign. I think getting a diagnosis is the first step and then you can gather information and make decisions from there. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.