My dog has a new lump near her tail. Skin tag, tick, or other issue?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a skin growth. I don't think it is a tick or any other skin parasite. Ticks feed on dogs for 3-4 days and then fall off. If this lump has been there for a few months it cannot be a tick or any other bug. Skin growths like this are common in older dogs. They are usually benign and not dangerous, but please show it to your vet the next time you take Lily in for an appointment.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like some form of skin growth. These skin tags are usually benign and may just fall off leaving small skin sore but Lucky will need to be fully examined by a vet to make the final diagnosis. Please, take your dog to your local vets tomorrow for an appointment. Your vet may want to remove it under local anaesthesia if it is painful for Lucky

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi and thank you for posting your question! From the picture, it looks like a skin tag which can grow over time and become larger. Usually these are not anything to worry too much about, although if it starts to become larger, red, swollen, or infected, you may want to have your veterinarian take a closer look. You can always have the mass aspirated and a sample sample taken from it to see if it is anything concerning. That is the only way to really definitively diagnosis any mass. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope this has helped!

While hard to say without seeing her in person, this does not have the appearance of a tick and looks more like a small skin growth. Ticks are usually dark in color, black/brown/maroon and once full of blood can have a pale grey appearance.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It always COULD be cancer - the only way to diagnose for sure is to remove it and send it to the lab. But I doubt it based on its current appearance. FAR more likely is that it’s a completely harmless “skin tag”. I’m not surprised at the color; even though her fur is fawn, you can see that Gracie’s actual skin is blackish in that area. Keep an eye on it. If it becomes suddenly big, hard, or seems to bother Gracie, get it checked out. Best of luck to you and Gracie!