My senior dog has a leaking grapefruit-sized lump. What should I do?

This could be a seroma from an injury, a cyst, abscess or a tumor. Cysts and abscesses need to be drained by a vet. If your vet suspects a tumor, he will do a fine needle aspirate to determine whether it is a harmless lipoma, which does not need to be removed unless it is ulcerating or bothers the dog due to its location or size, or another tumor that needs to be removed. Please make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the mass.

Poor Meesha has a very large tumour on her mammary gland. It is essentially a breast tumour, they can be benign or cancerous but in this case I think this one looks like a very nasty tumour. The wounds on it are because it has become ulcerated. I would suggest visiting another vet as this needs to be dealt with promptly as it will be very painful. To fix this Meesha would need the lump along with associated nipples removex. But firstly i would recommend having her lungs and lymph nodes checked for any spread of tumour. It will be a very big operation to put her through so you will need to weigh this up. If you dont decide to have this removed you will need to consider having Meesha put to sleep unfortunately. It would not be fair to her to not do something in this case.

Hello, If the mass was aspirated by your veterinarian and found not to contain cancerous cells, I agree surgery is optional but ideally removal of any mass is recommended. However, you described additional symptoms such as abnormal behavior that suggest congnitive dysfunction or possibly a brain tumor. I would advise you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian or a veterinary neurologist prior to removing her mass in the event she has a condition of the brain which could change her overall prognosis.

Thank you for providing a picture of Mia's lump! It could be a benign tumor, a cyst, or a malignant tumor. Unfortunately in a senior dog, there is always a chance it could be malignant. Any suspicious lumps 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 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. I would take her into the vet in the next couple of days to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Lady Bug. Since she is not fixed, my biggest concern is cancer. She could have mammary tumors - approximately 50% are benign and the other 50% are malignant. Whether you are talking about her vulva or anus, she could have a mass on the inside that has grown its way toward the orifice so that you can now see them. These can also be benign or malignant but I would strongly recommend to have a vet look at her. Your vet will be able to help you come up with a plan that will best suit you and Lady Bug’s needs and help make her feel better. Your vet will also be able to determine whether surgery is the best option for her or if there are other options depending on what the vet thinks it is. I hope this helps!

It could be that this dog (if she is spayed) has spay incontinence causing the leaking. This can be treated with medication. As for the lumps, it's always a possibility that any lump on a senior dog could be malignant. I agree with you, if they love her, they would take her into the vet for these issues. Dogs need regular health care, and when there is something wrong, they have to see a vet. Otherwise, they could be causing the dog to suffer. You can point that out to them, and tell them you spoke with a vet who strongly urged them to take her into the vet. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Pearl. Unfortunately there isn't a picture attached to your post, so I can't see the lump, but I can make a few guesses as to what it could be. It could be a cyst, but it could also be a lipoma, benign tumor, or malignant tumor. In a senior dog, there is always a chance any lump could be malignant. Any suspicious lumps 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 lump to get a sample of its 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 if needed. I'd give her vet a call this weekend or first thing Monday to make her an appointment. Best of luck.