Why does my 7-year-old lab have a squishy, painless lump on his side?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I work with cancer daily and I do think there is a good chance that it is in fact a benign fatty tumor as older labs get those frequently. However, it could also be something malignant such as a mast cell tumor, sarcoma, among others. This is most of the time differentiated with a test called a fine needle aspirate which is easy, cheap and pain-free. Sometimes, a biopsy is required for a diagnosis. Have Laya evaluated by your veterinarian to have this test performed to try to sort out what the diagnosis is so that the best course of action can be determined. Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign!

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.

Depending on the location of the lump, it could be Chico's lymph node that is the swelling. Those get swollen due to lymphoma, cancer, or infection. Any suspicious lump should be checked out by your vet. I recommend taking Chico into your vet to have that lump examined. Your vet can do a test called a fine needle aspirate to determine what that lump could be. To do this, your 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.

Lumps in dogs are typically either some sort of mass, a cyst, an abscess, or the result of some trauma causing localized swelling. In a young dog like Rocky, I would be concerned about any of the four of these if it is as large as a human hand (even a small hand would be concerning!). I would be particularly concerned if you believe this could have popped up in a small period of time. Anything extremely fast-growing, whether it is a mass or an abscess, should be addressed swiftly as it could continue to grow, ulcerate and burst. Hope this is helpful!

This lump on Oliver could be a cyst, an abscess, a lipoma (benign fatty tumor), or another type of benign tumor. In a dog his age, it would be rare for it to be malignant. Regardless, this is something that should be checked out 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 make an appointment with the vet for him on Monday to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

It could be a benign mass or tumor like a lipoma, or it could be something more serious. If the lump is new, if it seems painful, or if it is very firm and fixed in place you should encourage your friend to get it checked out by a veterinarian soon.

Poor Drake. These lumps could be lypomas or growths (benign or malignant). 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 his vet a call to make him an appointment.