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My older dog has a white bump on her neck. Is it a cyst or cancer?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 15 lbs

My dog has a single white bump that looks simlar to the start of a mole on the back of her neck. Im scared it is a tumor or cancer. Please tell me what you think as soon as possible. Shes an older dog if that helps anything.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 10th, 2017

Hello and thank you for your post! Thank you for the pictures as this helps narrow down what this could be. It appears to be a cyst or wart like mass that has developed. If Joyce is an older dog, changes to the skin are typical and we can see warts and cysts develop more frequently with age. If you are concerned about this, then I would take her in to see your vet to see if they can definitively say whether or not it is a cyst or wart. There are simple tests we can do in the hospital setting to get a better idea of what it could be. We can stick a small needle in the mass and look at the contents under a microscope to help better understand what it could be. Hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns you may have!

12Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Ann Dion, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on March 23rd, 2017
Hello. Lumps and bumps can never 100% be determined as to what they are without a biopsy, however some bumps are less concerning then others. Possible causes of white pimple like bumps are blocked glands, sebaceous cysts, warts, skin tags. These are not of concern and will only need to be removed if they become a problem. Usually more cancerous lumps look red or are more knobly, however some masses (especially mast cell tumors) can look like anything. It is recommended to have any mass tested to see what it is, especially if it is growing recently. You can always monitor it for another week or two and see if it continues to grow. Also, sometimes removing these masses early, when they are small, is a good idea if they look like they are growing, as sometimes even a non-cancerous mass can become so big and large that it causes problems, and then you will have wished you removed it when it was small and easy. I hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Elizabeth
Veterinarian
Published on December 4th, 2019
Pets can get many types of lumps and bumps. Most of these tumors will be benign but some will be malignant and you can't tell by looks. Here is a helpful link discussing the various types of skin masses in general:
https://www.petcoach.co/article/lumps-and-bumps-on-your-pet/

If the mass seems painful, feels hot or has any type of wound, this could be an infection or abscess. A warm (not hot) compress for 5 minutes every few hours may help.
If the above listed signs are absent, it's generally safe to wait to have Luckie examined until the vet is back next week. No treatment is available for home care if this is some sort of a skin tumor or mass.

Since you are noticing the sudden appearance and larger size of the mass, I do recommend to have it checked out to be safe. The doctor may recommend to aspirate the mass to examine the cells under a microscope. That is one of the best ways to know what it is and if further action is needed. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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