What's this lump on my dog's leg? Urgent advice before vet visit.

Ouch! I'd have that checked out by your vet in person, especially if it appeared suddenly or is bothersome to Bella. They can take a sample of the spot to rule out any more serious issues such as tumor growths, infections that need treatment, cysts, or see if it's something benign such as a skin tag or other small growth. Until you can get into your vet, it's a good idea to keep the area clean and dry, and monitor it for any signs of changes such as oozing debris, having irregular margins, worsening, etc, as these can all help your vet pinpoint the cause. An Elizabethan (cone) collar can also keep Bella from licking or chewing at it which can reduce irritation and prevent a secondary bacterial infection from taking hold.

This bump on Aspen's leg could be a cyst, a lipoma, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Any suspicious bumps 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 bump 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 would take Aspen into the vet tomorrow to have the bump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Bobo. This bump could be a cyst that has now ruptured, or it would be a benign or malignant growth. It may be bleeding because he's been picking at it. Apply gentle pressure to stop the bleeding, then put a bandage on it to protect it. Take him into the vet in the morning to get it diagnosed and treated. Best of luck.

Anything that large that has appeared over such a short period of time needs to be examined by a veterinarian. It is possible that it can grow too large, undergo too much pressure, and burst. The location of the mass that you are describing makes it more concerning as well, as it is going to have an effect on both mobility and the neck. I don't know if I would wait until morning to have this checked out, since this could potentially open up in the middle of the night and be problematic. Hope this helps and that Calypso gets better soon.

I can see the small, raised, slightly red hairless lump on Hazel's paw in the photo. This may be a bug bite, localized skin infection, or a mass (which is less likely in younger dogs). I recommend having the area examined by a vet to determine the underlying cause and begin the appropriate treatment. In the meantime, you can get Hazel an E-collar or "cone" to prevent her licking the area and causing further trauma and irritation.

Hi again and thanks for sending the pic to us. In this case this lump seems to be a tumor and would need ideally to be checked by your local veterinarian to differentiate in between benign and more sinister ones. The lump seems big enough to be able to take a fine needle aspirate from it without using local or general anesthetic. A small needle can be inserted inside the lump to get some cells out and analyse them.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly a lot of skin masses can look the same. It could be a Mast Cell tumor (which is a cancerous growth that should be removed and biopsied), a cyst, a histiocytoma (though he is a bit old for that, they end to occur in younger dogs). Any skin bumps that is new, rapidly grows, changes or is possibly infected should be checked by a Vet. They can decide whether it should be aspirated and sent to the lab or removed surgically to send the entire specimen for biopsy. I hope this helps and I wish Boston the very best!