My senior dog is tugging at a new tail growth. What should I do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Lenny evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Otis Lee. He will need to see his veterinarian for a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate. The veterinarian will use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This will ideally give you a diagnosis for the bump. A histiocytoma is common on the extremities of a young dog. This is a spontaneous growth usually goes away on its own. However, a cancerous mass known as a mast cell tumor has the same outward appearance. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him to prevent any further self-trauma. I hope this information helps!

Your vet is correct. You actually have a choice now: a fine needle aspirate where a little tissue is harvested from the lump and then examined to determine what kind of growth this is. Should it be benign, or just inflammatory, treatment would be either benign neglect or treating the inflammation or possible infection. Should it be malignant, then your vet will probably elect to amputate the tail well above the tumor and then this would often be curative depending on the type of tumor. In that case it is actually good that it is in the tail and not somewhere else on the body. Trust your vet, he is on the right track.

This lump needs to be checked and analysed as there are many conditions and types of tumors that could look like that. take Hercules to the vet, they will perform a fine needle aspiration on the growth and send it to the lab for analysis. when the result comes, the vet will advise what needs to be done according to the diagnosis.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Toby and for providing a picture of his lump, it's very helpful. That is quite a big lump, and he will be biting his tail because it's bothering him. This lump could be a cyst, abscess, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Unfortunately I cannot diagnose what it is without seeing him in person. 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 now to make him an appointment. Until he sees the vet, I would put an Ecollar on him to keep him from biting his tail further. If you don't have one at home already, you can buy one at a pet store. I hope this helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Tippu. The skin directly on that nodule does look different compared to the surrounding skin. I would be worried that it could potentially be something malignant, especially if it continues to bleed and is not bigger. It may be small enough to remove on its own and submit it for histopathology. If it comes back positive for a malignant tumor, and clean margins were not achieved, then potentially amputation of the tail may follow biopsy. If it is malignant, then you will likely need to obtain chest x-rays and maybe an abdominal ultrasound to rule out evidence of spread. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi Michael! This looks like a growth on Diego's tail, and it could be 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 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. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options with you. I'd give his vet a call today to make him an appointment. Best of luck.