Why does my 6-month-old puppy have a hard, fast-growing shoulder lump?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry Cooper has a lump over his neck! it is hard to say exactly what the cause is without examining Cooper first, but if he recently had a vaccine in that area, it may be an inflammatory reaction due to the vaccine that was given. There are other causes as well much as a small tumor or other mass. I would recommend Cooper see his veterinarian for a closure inspection and to have a sample of the mass taken to determine what it is and if it needs to be removed or not. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This lump in your puppy’s skin is probably nothing to worry about. It could be from an insect bite or sting or may be a reaction to a vaccine he had in that area. Keep an eye on it for now. If it becomes larger, painful, or red, then take him to your vet right away. Or if he starts acting lethargic, vomits/has diarrhea or stops wanting to eat, you should take him to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It could be any of those things: a localized vaccine reaction, a reaction to her microchip (if she has one), an insect sting.... no way for me to tell you which. Just call your vet to discuss when you can. Take some photos of the lump so that you can maybe send to them so they can decide if you need to bring her in or try some home treatment first.

No puppies don't get fatty lumps like this overnight, so it's more likely a cyst or an abscess on Franko. A cyst and an abscess are not serious, but I would still have it checked out by a vet before his next round of vaccines. The vet can do 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. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear about Bruce's lump. Vaccinations can definitely leave behind a small bump at times. If this happens after I vaccinate a dog, I will have the client bring their pet in so I can examine the spot, make sure that it coincides with where I gave the vaccine for sure. If it is something new rather than a lump from the vaccine, it can be addressed accordingly. As long as it is just from the vaccine, then we monitor the spot over the course of a few weeks. If it is a localized inflammatory response to the vaccine, it usually will go away over time. If it persists, some clients will opt to have me remove the tiny lump and test it to make sure it just comes back as an inflammatory response and not something serious. I would definitely call your veterinarian and have Bruce get a quick examination to make sure all is well, and you will likely just monitor the lump going forward. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Sadie. Lumps are always troubling unless they resolve over days to a few weeks. Possible causes for lumps include recent vaccinations, seroma (fluid filled space), hematoma (blood filled space), granuloma (growth consisting of inflammatory cells), cyst (fluid/sebaceous material filled sac), or a tumor which could either be benign or cancer. I would monitor the lump for signs of resolution as noted above. If the lump increases in size or the characteristics change, then I would advise that your vet see Sadie. They can perform a physical exam and then possibly a fine needle aspirate or biopsy of the lump if indicated. Hopefully this will resolve. I wish you and Sadie much luck.

These skin lumps can arise from a few different causes and they are usually not a big concern. The first thing I would check is if Juna has had any vaccines or injections lately. These are often give in the back near the shoulder blades and can sometimes swell a bit. They also sometimes get these from bites or other trauma. In these cases, the lump is just some fluid buildup under the skin. These usually start going down within a couple of weeks. Other causes can be from a blocked gland, fly warble, abscess or a tumor. You can safely wait a week or two to see if it goes away on its own. If it continues to grow of doesn't go down, then it's best to take her into the vet to get it checked out.