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My senior dog has a growing, painless lump. What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund (Miniature Wire Haired) | Female | unspayed | 11 years old | 18 lbs

My dog is an 11 year old Dachshund/ShihTzu mix. She has this lump on her hind quarter that we begin to notice after the beginning of the year. It stayed very small for quite a while but now is getting larger. It does not seem to bother her. She is not in pain from it. Normal daily activities still. Normal eating & drinking daily. She has no vomiting etc from it.

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS

Answered By Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 12th, 2021

Hello my name is Dr. Elyse Macartney, and I would like to help answer you questions regarding Brandi's skin lump today. First of all thank you for sending the picture of the lump.

From the picture you have sent the lump appears to be a skin growth. There are several types off lumps or masses that can grow in the skin of dogs such as sebaceous cysts, warts, abscesses, lipomas, and several types of cancers. Some of these cancers are benign and some are malignant, so careful observation is important, as well as having a vet examine it if you are concerned.

My first step of advice for you would be to use a ruler to measure the lump today. Then repeat that measurement every few weeks.

Continue to monitor the lump for growth, ulceration, pain, bleeding, swelling, and changes in texture or color. Rapidly growing and changing masses are more concerning, and may be a sign of malignancy.

Because this is a new mass and because you have already observed growth, I would suggest taking Brandi in to have the mass examined by her veterinarian. The veterinarian will most likely want to take a sample of the cells within the mass using a FNA (fine needle aspirate). Using cytological examination of those cells, the type of mass can be identified and a treatment plan created.

I hope this information was helpful, and I have included the link to further articles below.


https://www.petcoach.co/article/lumps-on-dogs-when-you-should-be-concerned/

https://www.petcoach.co/article/can-pets-get-skin-cancer/
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Hello. All new lumps, bumps & lesions, especially pigmented ones like this, need to be fully evaluated by your veterinarian. Older pets are more prone to developing tumors, & just by looking at one, it is impossible to know if it is malignant & cancerous, or something that can just be monitored. Any lump that is pigmented, & getting bigger should be looked at as soon as possible.
    Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Angela Hinton, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 23rd, 2018

    Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
    Senior dogs often time get lumps in the skin or under the skin and many of these can be non-cancerous. Based on the photo you attached it looks like it might be an adenoma which is benign (not cancerous).
    However, it is still a good idea to take Winnie in to see her vet, especially since it seems to be getting bigger. Since I can't examine it to see if it's attached it's hard to say for sure.

    Even if your vet thinks it's likely benign the only real way to know for sure is to do a biopsy so they may recommend doing that or maybe even having it removed depending on how big it is (it's hard to tell the size in the photo).
    The biopsy will actually look at the cells within the lump to see if they are cancerous or not.

    I wish you and Winnie all the best!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on January 21st, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. 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 him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 13th, 2017

    Judging from the picture that you have provided, I suspect this is what is called a sebaceous adenoma. This is quite common in older dogs and these are typically benign skin tumors that occur with age. This is nothing to be concerned about and I would just keep an eye on it. You may notice more of these the older Tony becomes. If this Mass becomes much larger you can have a veterinarian take a look at it and perform some testing on it to help determine what it for sure is. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I would be more than happy to help answer them.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My 10-year-old Labrador has a small, painless skin lump. What is it?
Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. From the photo, it's difficult to see the area of concern. I think what I'm looking at is a mass under the skin correct? The most common type of mass under the skin is a lipoma: https://www.petcoach.co/article/lipomas-in-dogs-benign-fatty-growths/ These benign growths don't usually cause any problems unless they grow too large (they can get the size of a volleyball or even bigger) or if they are located around a joint and interfere with movement. If this mass feels firm, grows/shrinks, feels like air under the skin (crepitus) or starts growing quickly, I recommend to have it examined to make sure it's not something cancerous. Liposarcomas, Mast Cell Tumors and Soft Tissue Sarcomas are all cancerous growths that also grow under the skin and can look exactly like a lipoma. I would also make sure to point this out to your veterinarian during the next exam, even if the mass never changes. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.
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My senior dog has hard lumps, feels hot, and is tired. What's wrong?
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My dog has a growing lump. What could it be and should I worry?
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