My new 5-month-old lab mix puppy has a painful lump. What is it?

Without further testing, there is no way to tell if this growth is due to infection, trauma or allergy, or if it is a tumour. Tumours can be of a malignant (cancerous) type that can spread elsewhere and/ or invade the healthy tissue around them, or a more benign (noncancerous) type that is unlikely to spread. I recommend making an appointment to see your vet to have the growth tested. In many cases this can be done using a fine needle aspirate, where cells are removed from the growth using a needle and examined under a microscope to determine what it is and to guide treatment. In some cases further testing may be needed to determine the necessary course of treatment, but it is important to get new growths tested in a timely manner, as some can be cancerous and quite aggressive in their growth, and growths due to infection, allergy or trauma can lead to complications or be indicators of underlying health problems. In the meantime, it is very important that you keep Trey from licking the area to help prevent infection by making sure he wears the “cone” (also known as an e-collar or Elizabethan collar) at all times when he is not being directly supervised by you, including while sleeping. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to your pup without consulting with your vet. Your veterinarian can prescribe safe medication to help with the pain as needed. Hope your pup feels better soon!

Poor Emmitt! The lesions on his leg and muzzle could be due a bacterial skin infection (often from underlying allergies), ringworm, or mange. Make sure that he is receiving a high quality flea preventative regularly, such as Nexgard, Bravecto, or K9 Advantix II since flea allergies can lead to itching and subsequent skin infections. You can also try bathing Emmitt in an antimicrobial shampoo ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982 ), but use caution around his face and be sure to rinse and dry well. Also consider switching to stainless steel bowls rather than plastic or ceramic bowls if you aren't already using them in case the lesions on his face are related to an "acne-like" condition. Stainless steel is less porous than the other materials and tends to harbor less bacteria. If these skin lesions persist or worsen, Emmitt will need to take a trip to his vet for further evaluation. I hope that all goes well!

Has he been licking at it? Can you identify a wound on it? It may be an abscess (localized infection) under the skin, as thise can show up very quickly. You can shave the hair over the top and clean it with dilute Betadine (available at any pharmacy - use water to dilute it so it looks like tea). Put an ecollar (cone) on him to prevent him from biting or chewing on it, and make an appointment with your vet as soon as you can—but it’s not something you need to see an emergency vet for as long as it’s not seeming painful and he’s eating and acting normally. Other possible causes would be some type of tumor (though less likely with his age), or a fluid accumulation called a seroma. Your vet may Do a fine needle aspirate (poke the bump with a needle and then look at cells under the microscope) to see what it is and then know how best to treat it. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If it recently got bigger than you should have a vet take a look at the lump to determine the cause. She could have an infection, cyst, or a mass and your vet can do a needle aspirate to help diagnose and then determine if any treatment is needed.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear about Quavo's troubles. An itchy lump like that could be indicative of either a mild bacterial infection, a contact dermatitis - meaning something irritated him and he keeps licking at it and perpetuating it, or it could even be a ringworm lesion. There are a few tests that can be evaluated to find out. The best thing to do is take Quavo to see his veterinarian. The veterinarian can assess the bump and determine if topical and/or oral medications are required. Based on what I can see from the photo, the area where it is could be consistent with where Quavo was neutered. He may be having a suture reaction. (It doesn't say he is neutered in the description, but just in case he was and you forgot to say). Other lumps puppies can get that are called, histiocytomas. They are benign cancerous lesions that can be very itchy and uncomfortable, but will usually regress on their own. Again, it's best for a veterinarian to take a look and determine what course of action to take. In the meantime, you may want to pick up a cone from the pet store for Quavo to wear to keep him from licking it. That may help as well. The cone should be long enough to go past his nose by a few inches to keep him from being able to reach to lick. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! It is difficult to say what the growth you are seeing is since there are no pictures. Seeing that Carl is quite a young dog, I would suspect what you are seeing is benign. Many times in dogs this young when we see a mass it is likely a papilloma secondary to exposure to the papilloma virus or a histiocytoma. Both of these typically resolve on their own and will occasionally need surgical intervention for removal. If the mass is not going away on its own or is multiplying in number, I would have this examined by a veterinarian and have further testing performed to help further determine what this could be so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! I am also available via consultation if needed.

This looks like a benign skin growth that got scraped. It is now irritated and bloody from the injury. I’m glad you took a photo. I would measure it also and then check it weekly to see if it’s enlarging or appears more irritated. If it changes it should be surgically removed and biopsied. It looks like it’s only in the skin so it should be easy to remove as there is plenty of loose skin in the area to close the incision. You can clean it with hydrogen peroxide and then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it to prevent infection. From the photo it doesn’t look like anything to be overly concerned about. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chloe.