My young dog has a head lump. Is it a histiocytoma or serious?

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. With Stella's age, I would suspect this is likely benign and what we call a histiocytoma. To be on the safe side though, I would recommend having your veterinarian take a look at this and perform additional testing to help better determine what it could be. Your vet can insert a small needle into the mass and look at the cells under the microscope to help rule out what it could be. A histiocytoma is a benign (non cancerous) tumor that usually resolves on its own over time. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concerns. Based on the photo you provided, this could be a number of things. Tornado is very young, so there is a chance that this could be something called a histiocytoma. This type of mass is commonly seen in younger animals and is non-cancerous that typically goes away on its own. Some cases need to be surgically removed if they are not resolving or if they are growing in size.The other possibility is that it is something cancerous. Mast cell tumor would certainly be on my list of rule outs. To be certain this is nothing to be concerned about, I would recommend that you take Tornado in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction!

That does look to be a mass. A mass is a collection of cells and can be benign (inflammation, cyst, some tumors) or a malignant tumor. Given the age of your dog this may be a histiocytoma, but as many skin tumors can look alike the best plan to confirm this is for your vet to perform a needle aspirate for cytology. That way you will know for sure if this can be monitored or if it needs any therapy. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Chloe is adorable! The lump on her face could be due to a number of issues, including a benign or malignant mass, cyst, granuloma, among others. Given her young age, a benign mass like a histiocytoma seems most likely, but the only way to definitively determine the cause of this lesion is through a fine needle aspirate. This procedure is performed by drawing a few cells from the lesion with a needle so that the sample can be examined microscopically. From there, the vet will be able to provide more information as to whether it is better to monitor the lesion (histiocytomas typically go away without intervention within 3 months) or surgically remove it. I do recommend taking Chloe to her vet to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

In a young dog these are often a little cyst or a mass known as a histiocytoma. These may grow a little bigger, but eventually go away on their own after a couple of months. I think it would fine to just monitor this for now. If grows rapidly, or breaks open, or has any other dramatic changes, then it's best to have your vet examine Capone in order to definitively diagnose the cause of this and provide the necessary treatment. Below is a link to more information about the suspected mass. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/skin-cutaneous-histiocytoma I hope that helps and all is well with Capone.

Hello, that lump appears very similar to a histiocytoma. These tumors occur in young dogs primarily, are benign, and resolve on their own within several weeks. This should be confirmed by obtaining a sample from this tumor with a needle or by obtaining a biopsy. Have your veterinarian re-check Lola, especially if her lump is not resolving with medications and talk about sampling the lump. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It is possible this could be a skin tumor called a histiocytoma which we can see in younger dogs. You can read about them here http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1676. Other possibilities include other tumors such as mast cell tumor, inflammatory nodule due to a ringworm infection (fungal disease), a granuloma due to a foreign body, and more. An exam by your vet is needed to help determine the cause. This may involve a needle aspirate of the swelling to collect cells to aid in identification.