My dog has a squishy lump under skin after trauma. Is it serious?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If there was a traumatic injury that caused a pocket to form under the skin, this would create a dead space. Consequently when there is dead space under skin the body will try to fill this dead space in and fluid will accumulate in the pocket as a result. This is what we call a seroma. Many times after a single drainage by the vet this usually resolves. Sometimes the seroma needs to be drained multiple times. Seromas do not harm the animal in any way. Sometimes applying cold packing and warm packs to the area will help reduce inflammation and help the seroma resolve. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have I am also available via consultation if needed

There are numerous causes of lumps on a dog Sheba's age, and not all are worrisome. Dogs can develop non-cancerous lumps like cysts, seromas (pockets of fluid), abscesses, and bruises. Some of these can go away after being drained by a veterinarian. Dogs can also develop lipomas, which are benign fatty tumors, that generally do not cause problems. Some owners elect to remove them and some monitor them at home. The best way to figure out what is going on is to take Sheba in to have your vet examine her and possibly do a fine needle aspirate of this lump, which involves sticking a small needle into the lump and trying to remove cells/fluid. These cells/fluid can then be examined under the microscope to help determine what the lump is made of and how it needs to be treated.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hayleigh. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. I worry that she has an infection under the skin known as an abscess. This can happen if she sustained a puncture wound. This introduces bacteria under the skin. The initial skin wounds heals over trapping the infection underneath. You need to see if this is the case or if something else is causing the swelling. I hope this information helps!

Without examining Aero and performing diagnostic tests, I can't definitively say what the cause of this lesion may be. However, some possible causes include a follicular cyst (a benign fluid filled lesion under the skin that can feel hard), sebaceous cyst (a benign oil/sebum filled cyst), inflammatory lesion from trauma, or many other causes. Given Aero's young age, cancerous lesions are very unlikely. This is certainly not an emergency, but I do recommend taking Aero to his vet for further evaluation in the coming days to weeks. Your vet will be able to examine him and will likely need to perform a fine needle aspirate, which involves using a needle to draw out a few cells from the lesion for microscopic evaluation. Based on these results, your vet will be able to determine the best course of treatment. In the meantime, keep a close eye on the lesion for any sudden growth, redness or discharge. If Aero begins to lick at the lesion, put an e-collar (cone) on him until his vet visit, as licking could result in infection of the lesion. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Although a picture would help to define better the nature of it, generally speaking, this kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. 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.

Has he been licking at it? Can you identify a wound on it? It may be an abscess (localized infection) under the skin, as thise can show up very quickly. You can shave the hair over the top and clean it with dilute Betadine (available at any pharmacy - use water to dilute it so it looks like tea). Put an ecollar (cone) on him to prevent him from biting or chewing on it, and make an appointment with your vet as soon as you can—but it’s not something you need to see an emergency vet for as long as it’s not seeming painful and he’s eating and acting normally. Other possible causes would be some type of tumor (though less likely with his age), or a fluid accumulation called a seroma. Your vet may Do a fine needle aspirate (poke the bump with a needle and then look at cells under the microscope) to see what it is and then know how best to treat it. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This could be a seroma from an injury, a cyst, abscess or a tumor. Cysts and abscesses need to be drained by a vet. If your vet suspects a tumor, he will do a fine needle aspirate to determine whether it is a harmless lipoma, which does not need to be removed unless it is ulcerating or bothers the dog due to its location or size, or another tumor that needs to be removed. Please make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the mass.