My senior dog has blood-filled moles and skin tags. What are they?

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Looking at the picture you attached, it could be a couple of things. It could be a benign mass, like a skin tag, that has become irritated. There is unfortunately also a type of skin cancer called hemangiosarcoma that can look like this though. I would recommend taking her into your vet. They will likely ask you how long it has been there, about any changes in size/shape, and recommend a small skin biopsy. I hope this answers your question.

The pictures look like benign warts, but It is always a good idea to have your vet examine any masses on M. In general, if a wart is bleeding it is worth considering removing it, so it would be worth discussing that with your vet as well. However, we often do not remove warts if they are not causing a problem. I have attached a link below with more information on warts. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1934 I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I, too, hope they are just moles, but it is just like a spot that pops up on a human - it is ALWAYS best to have them checked out by a doctor. Your vet can examine these new lumps, and may collect a small sample of cells to be examined under a microscope for diagnosis. If there are any signs that the cells may be cancerous, then your vet will likely recommend that they be removed and sent in for official diagnosis.

This could be a benign skin mass like a wart or a lipoma or could be something more serious like a mast cell tumor. My best recommendation is to take Mara to the veterinarian so a fine needle aspirate and cytology can be performed. This will help your veterinarian determine the cell type of origin and decide if the masses need to be removed. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I wouldn't call this a skin tag based on appearance alone, but it's still possible. I think it's more likely a sebaceous adenoma (a benign skin mass), but the only way to positively identify it is to surgically remove it and send it to the lab for analysis. I recommend talking to your veterinarian about the possibility of doing this. Below is a link to some information about the suspected tumor. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/skin-sebaceous-gland-tumors I hope that helps and all is well with Tucker.

I agree that the first picture appears to be a skin tag and the second picture looks like it could be a cyst or perhaps a Sebaceous adenoma. I am not too concerned about these masses, but obviously an examination is far better than an evaluation of a picture. If your veterinarian is concerned they appear small enough that perhaps removal with just a local anesthesia may work. Best of luck and I hope she does well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Gidget! Without being able to see it in person, it is difficult to say for sure. I would have your vet take a look at it since it is hairless. It is likely just a fatty tumor but I have seen a malignant type of skin tumor called a mast cell tumor look like that. Granted, we do have to keep in mind her age. You may decide just to keep her comfortable and make sure the area doesn't get infected and that isn't a wrong decision either. Your vet will be able to determine whether or not it is malignant and also make sure the part that is bleeding isn't going to get infection. A dog her age would have a hard time getting over an infection if left untreated. I hope this helps!