My female dog has a new lump. Is it a nipple or something serious?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it would be worthwhile having her evaluated to make sure that it does indeed look like a nipple and to ensure it is not something else like a mass or nodule. Based on an examination, your veterinarian would be able to tell you if this should be biopsied or not. Good luck!

I do not see anything immediately concerning on the pictures but it is recommended to get all lumps checked by your vet to rule out sinister causes, especially if there is any change in size, colour or texture. Some changes will occur with puberty and this may be what you can feel

It is difficult to tell what is going on with Panthera based on the picture alone. The lump in the picture almost looks wet, so I would be concerned about a potential cyst or infected gland. Since she is unspayed, I also worry about potential mammary cancer, which we see more commonly in intact females. It can present as firm masses under the mammary glands. Dogs can also get benign masses of the mammary tissue as well. The best course of action would be to take her to your regular vet to have them evaluate her. She may need a fine needle aspirate of the lump. This is when we take a sample of cells from the area and look at it under the microscope to try to determine what the underlying cause is. It is no more painful than a vaccine and can give a lot of information as to if anything further needs to be done for Panthera or not.

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 night!

Hi. This is a very big mass. If it is firm and painful, this is concerning in an unspayed, older pet is cancer unfortunately. Besides a cancer, other possibilities include infection, cyst, lipoma, a benign mammary tumor, hernia, etc. She should be fully checked out and have the mass sampled to get an answer. The sooner the better in this case.

Without seeing it in person, I can't say what it is for certain. I can say that nipples are not usually right next to each other. It could be possible he has an extra nipple, but I would be more likely to think it's a lump of some sort. It could be a benign tumor, a wart, or a malignant tumor, among other skin lumps. I would recommend taking Apachie into your vet to have them check out the lump. Any suspicious lumps should be investigated by your vet. Your vet can perform a simple test on it called a fine needle aspirate to help identify it. To do this, your vet will stick a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examine the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform.

Thank you for the photo of the lump on the side of Lily's vulva, I can see it clearly in the photo. From the photo, it doesn't appear to be ulcerated, bleeding, or look otherwise "nasty" on the outside. That doesn't necessarily rule out it being a malignant lump, but this appearance is better than it being what I described above, if that makes sense. While there is a chance it could be malignant, given her age, there is also a possibility that it could simply be a benign growth, a good possibility given its appearance. Again, I can't say that for certain, but benign growths and malignant growths tend to have certain characteristics, and appearance can be one of those characteristics (but not always!). Sorry that I can't be more specific, but unfortunately I cannot be specific without seeing her in person. I do think it's good that you are having her seen by a vet for this, especially since it has grown in size a little, and waiting another 10 days does not seem like a big deal in this case. If you are especially concerned, you can ask to be put on the cancellation list, where they can call you a spot opens up sooner. I hope this helps!