My senior Lab has a soft lump on his chest and neck. Is it serious?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I work with cancer daily and I do think there is a good chance that it is in fact a benign fatty tumor as older labs get those frequently. However, it could also be something malignant such as a mast cell tumor, sarcoma, among others. This is most of the time differentiated with a test called a fine needle aspirate which is easy, cheap and pain-free. Sometimes, a biopsy is required for a diagnosis. Have Laya evaluated by your veterinarian to have this test performed to try to sort out what the diagnosis is so that the best course of action can be determined. Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign!

Poor Drake. These lumps could be lypomas or growths (benign or 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. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment.

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.

i am afraid these could be benign or malignant tumors. Since Nealy is an older dog, this is not uncommon. Lipomas (fatty tumors, usually benign, they can actually be hard) or mast cell tumors come to mind when looking at your photos. It could also be a very extreme allergic reaction to possibly a shampoo at the groomers. 1) do not panic 2) make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam. He will likely want to take a so-called FNA (Fine Needle Biopsy) where he takes a small amount of tissue through an injection needle, puts this on a glass plate and looks at it under the microscope. This will give your vet an idea what he is dealing with. He may also send this material to a lab to be examined. Once you and dyour veterinarian know what type of mass you are dealing with , you can discuss treatment plans.

This could be a hematoma, a cyst or a tumor. The most common tumors in this location would be a fatty tumor, which usually is benign. However the only way to determine what kind of mass this is is to take Rocky to your veterinarian for an exam. Your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

It is unlikely that the lump would have developed from Tyson scratching at his ear. The lump could be a swollen lymph node due to the underlying ear infection. It could also be a benign fatty mass called a lipoma. Another alternative is that it could be a cancerous mass. If you are concerned about the mass, your vet will be able to test it with a fine needle aspiratebto determine what it is and recommend appropriate treatment. Good luck! I hope Tyson is feeling better soon.

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.