Last time, I discussed three very common lumps I come across in my canine patients. There are a myriad of lumps and bumps that can affect your pets and I simply can’t cover all of them. I do, however, want to shed some light on a few other prevalent lumps and just equip you with an appropriate strategy to tackle any lump your pet may develop.
I must warn you, there will be lots of graphic pictures included in this post!
These are generally secondary to a malformation of the hair follicle or as I like to refer to it as a blogged up hair follicle or pore. They lead to hard oval shaped lumps under the skin. They are usually not painful. However, if they grow too rapidly, they can burst and develop secondary infection and irritate your pet. A fine needle aspirate usually yields a very thick yellowish material (sebum: oily secretion produced by sebaceous gland) and examination under the microscope will allow for a definitive diagnosis.
It is best to leave them alone and monitor them.If they start bothering your pet, then they should be surgically removed.
I have sometimes incised them under local anesthetic to express their content and chemically cauterize their inner lining. However, I always put these patients on a course of antibiotics and explain to their owners that this is only a band aid solution as they will most likely recur if they are not surgically removed.
They can often look like this and mostly occur around the head, chest or back of your pet.
These lumps can arise from cartilage, nerves, fat or even vessels. They usually feel quite solid and appear to have a very distinct capsule.
Unfortunately this type of tumor doesn’t aspirate well and so fine needle aspirates will often give us misleading results.
For example, this is a fine needle aspirate from a hard lump that grew suddenly on Chloe. At the time, I didn’t know it was a sarcoma based on this slide. However, I recommended removal of the lump either way due to its rapid growth.
As you can observe below, this is Chloe’s fine needle aspirate and there are very few cells in it. You can mostly see lots of background matrix and clear fat droplets.
Therefore, it is important to understand that the best means to confirm the diagnosis of a sarcoma is to get a biopsy sample. Generally, if they are small enough, the best approach is to resect them with a good margin and send them off for histopathology. The pathologists can then confirm the diagnosis, grade the sarcoma and tell us if it has been completely removed.
The grading of this type of tumor is essential as a lower grade sarcoma has a better prognosis than a higher grade one.
High grade sarcomas have a potential to metastasize (spread) and surgical excision alone may not be curative. Some patients may require radiation or chemotherapy treatment.
The catch 22 is that if you don’t completely excise a sarcoma even a low grade one, then there is a very high risk the tumor will return with a vengeance. Thankfully, in my personal experience, I have had two occasions where a clean margin was very difficult to achieve purely due the location of the lump. One was in a terrier cross.
Victoria suddenly developed a very large lump on the bottom of her front paw. I removed it without any huge margins as that would have involved major reconstruction surgery or having an open wound. Her results came back saying she had a sarcoma with dirty margins; tumor cells were seen on the margins of the lump submitted. Her owners simply couldn’t afford repeat surgery or referral. Fortunately, these clients were my neighbors and I personally followed up on this case and was thrilled to see that the lump never returned!
It was quite a challenge to keep Victoria still. 🙂
Victoria’s forelimb tumor. I hope you can appreciate how hard it would be to remove this lump with good margins.
Micky, a geriatric cat, also developed a sudden growth on the base of his tail. I couldn’t take deep margins as that would have involved a tail amputation. His results also came back indicating it was a low grade sarcoma that was incompletely resected. Fortunately the tumor didn’t come back.
Micky two weeks after surgery. He was feeling pretty good.
Polly 12 year old Shi Tzu cross had a slowly growing lump in her right axillary region. It was again a very difficult area. Results came back indicating it was a grade 1-2 sarcoma with no clear margins. The owner opted to go to a specialist and he took very large margins and he completely resected the tumor. She has recovered very well.
For those pets that love to sun-bake and don’t have much fur or have a white coat, they are very prone to developing ‘haemangiosarcomas’.
This type of tumor is highly aggressive and can spread to the internal organs if not immediately surgically removed.
This type of tumor resembles the ‘malignant melanoma’ that occurs in humans due to high exposure to UV light. In pets, it usually affects the fur-less areas like the mouth, eyes, nasal planum, abdomen and genitals. Protect your pet with a registered sunscreen product or a summer coat.
Milly was an indoor and outdoor cat that suddenly developed a nasal swelling/lump. We froze the haemangiosarcoma which bought her some time but it returned and sadly we lost the battle.
A pet ewe (female sheep) with a haemangiosarcoma lesion affecting her vulva.
Suspect haemangiosarcoma lumps around the prepuce in a white horse.
Currently, we are seeing lots of dogs with abscesses secondary to grass seeds. However, an abscess can form secondary to any puncture wounds, bite marks or even blunt trauma. Cats are infamous for getting cat fight abscesses around the head or base of their tail. Abscesses can occur anywhere on the body, around the neck, chest and abdomen, even thighs, around the base of the tail and within the paws.
You must immediately attend to your pet if you notice any suspicious lump and get your local veterinarian to have a look.
Your pets can often spike a fever and are quite painful and may even go off their food. They often require a general anesthetic surgical drainage of the lump and a probe to see if a foreign body can be found. It is important to note that were there is suspicions it is a grass seed abscess, there is no guarantee that we will find the offending foreign body!
For thick coated pets or those with very furry paws, I highly recommend you book them in with your local groomer for a summer clip. This reduces the risk of your pet getting grass seeds and helps you spot them faster. An added bonus to the summer clip is your pet will cope much better with the heat!
Abscess under the neck.
Abscess around the prepuce of a working dog. Most likely secondary to blunt trauma from a ram jamming into him.
Aural haematomas:
I often get clients booking in their dog’s with aural haematomas for lump checks. They actually don’t have a lump per say but instead a fat ear pinnae filled with blood. This usually develops when your pet is constantly shaking its head and suddenly a blood vessel in his/her ear ruptures and the ear pinnae fills up with blood. This often affects dogs more than any other species but cats can also get this. Again grass seeds down your dog’s ears can trigger the head shaking. However, any type of ear infection or ear mite infestation may also lead to this. The key is attending to your dog’s head shaking as soon as possible.
The longer you ignore your dog’s head shaking, the higher the risk of this condition developing.
Book them in straight away to see your local veterinarian so they can determine the cause of the shaking and offer appropriate treatment and hopefully prevent this from occurring.
I think that’s enough lumps for one day. However, I would like to end my post with some very important recommendations:
1. Be aware, lumps can occur anywhere on your pet’s body and you should even look into their mouths especially if they suddenly develop a smelly breath.
Very aggressive oral tumor in a dog.
2. Best to investigate your pet’s lump while it is small. It is easier to completely excise, cheaper vet expense-wise and you lower the risk of it spreading to other areas if is an aggressive tumor.
Bonnie suddenly developed this very itchy lump under her jaw. My colleague has started investigating it.
Piper suddenly developed this growth on his pad. I biopsied it & discovered it was benign.
This is my own baby ‘Shepo’. He alerted us to the lump on his stump as it was very irritating. My colleague resected it and thankfully it was benign.
Wichety, a Sharpei, suddenly developed this inflammatory lump. Her owners immediately addressed it and it actually responded to medications alone and completely went away!
‘Precious’ quickly developed this lump over her head. Her owner didn’t immediately address it as it seemed quite small. Suddenly it grew more and when she brought her in, it was too late to be able to completely resect it. It was a very aggressive osteosarcoma.
3. Lumps can affect all species and can occur anywhere on the body. Make sure you inspect your pets regularly for any odd lumps.
Cow with a swelling on its inner thigh. I probed it as I was concerned it was a migrating foreign body.
Ewe (female sheep) with an abdominal swelling. We anesthetized her and discovered this was a hernia.
Sophira’s eye lump.
Valvular lump in a very old dog. I desexed her and resected the lump and luckily she fully recovered.
4. If you leave a lump to grow too big on your pet, there is a huge chance it will burst. I strongly advise you to avoid this scenario.
This geriatric Labrador was in a really bad way when she arrived at the clinic. Her fatty lump had burst and was so infected.
Thankfully my colleague was able to resect the lump and close up her wound. She recovered really well.
5. Not every pet is going to be as lucky as the Labrador above. If you leave some lumps to grow too big, it is sometimes too late or impossible to remove them.
This geriatric terrier reached the point where he couldn’t defecate. His owners opted to put him down at this point. I was saddened to see he was left until he reached that point.
Sophira was 8 years old and very much loved. Her owners had brought her in earlier when the lump was much smaller. They were petrified about losing her under general anesthetic so they kept monitoring the lump. It reached this size and they decided it had to be removed. Unfortunately surgery didn’t go well as it was quite challenging to close the wound and she didn’t survive the anesthetic. Very sad outcome.
Sooty came to me 6 months ago and she had a small mammary tumor. It suddenly progressed and grew very quickly. We collected at biopsy and unfortunately we got inconclusive results and weren’t sure what we were dealing with at that stage.
We proceeded with a palliative surgery as she was quite uncomfortable from the weight of the lump. Unfortunately during the surgery, I discovered the entire abdominal wall was involved with the tumor and her abdominal organs were exposed.
She would have required major reconstruction surgery to close her wounds and there was a high risk of herniation. After speaking to her owners during the surgery, we had to put her down while she was still under general anesthetic. Absolutely heart wrenching outcome that may have been avoided.
6. Don’t assume the lump will outlive your dog. I often get owners thinking their dogs are too old to undergo surgery. They often don’t realize they are compromising their pet’s well being when they don’t address the lump.
Monty is a very old border collie that developed a very massive fatty lump. He was starting to really struggle to move around and so the owners decided they simply couldn’t put off this surgery any longer.
He felt like a brand new man after the lump was resected. It would have been far cheaper and a much short anesthetic if the lump was removed when it was smaller.
Jackson developed this lump over 1.5 months. His owners were quite concerned it was going to rupture and so in spite of cost constraints, they went ahead with the surgery.
He recovered brilliantly and we found out it was only a fatty lump. His owners are thrilled with the outcome.
Sorry for overwhelming you with so many gory pictures in this post but I hope it got the main message across.
I bet you are all feeling quite lumped out right now. Please fire away any questions you may have.
Related articles
- Oh no,I discovered a lump on my pet! Part 1 (rayyathevet.com)
Dr Rayya's Online Veterinary Journal 
February 2, 2013 at 8:24 am
WHY do pet owners wait so long?! That’s so cruel. Then you’re expected to perform miracles and save the poor animals. I’m thankful that you do, but I’m sure there are times when you just can’t save them. Poor things!
March 24, 2013 at 7:59 pm
Sorry about the delayed response. Some owners really don’t mean to be cruel. They just don’t know any better, others don’t know how to deal with and many are terrified of the costs involved & refrain as they don’t have the means.
Unfortunately, most of them don’t realise it will be so much more expensive if left unattended.
Thanks for always being open with your comments and viewing things from the animal perspective (more people need to do that).
June 28, 2016 at 5:17 am
I have a Boxer dog that has a grape sized lump on her neck. As soon as we noticed it (it had been under her collar) we took her in. The vet said it was a hematoma and should be gone in a couple of months. Well 10 months later it has not went away nor has it really grown any. My point is that you shouldn’t judge another persons reasoning on why they waited to take in their pet, because sometimes you may think that the lump isn’t anything important until it has gotten worse…..especially if your vet says it’s nothing to worry about. Well…..since my dog is a Boxer and they are prone to cancers….I am worried about it and she is scheduled to have it removed this week. And….yes….the cost is scary to ones who can’t afford the high vet bills. I always shop around and find ones that are vets because they care about the animals…..and not about the all mighty dollar. There are still good ones out there. You just have to look.
June 28, 2016 at 7:16 am
You’re right, Dee. I shouldn’t judge everyone the same. There are all different cases. I guess I was reacting to the photos I saw in this blog post. And about vets, I’ve had a bad one and now I have a very good one. Just like all people, you get good and bad.
July 1, 2016 at 8:10 am
sometimes people just do not have the moneyyyyyyyyy to help the pet then what???????/
July 1, 2016 at 8:17 am
Then you probably shouldn’t own a pet in the first place. Give it away to someone who can look after it. If you’re broke, that’s no reason an animal should suffer. I know that sounds cruel, but it’s like adopting a child when you don’t have a home to bring it to.
September 27, 2016 at 4:51 pm
A lot of people can’t afford to take care of there dog,nim sure most people didn’t want to wait that long
October 20, 2016 at 7:44 pm
Hello where can I ask a question please
Bobbh
October 20, 2016 at 10:48 pm
Send to anneli@anneli-purchase.com
August 12, 2023 at 7:19 pm
Cos it all about the money for the vet . People wouldn’t wait or let animals suffer instead probably don’t have to money til there pay day and vets make ya pay there and then
August 13, 2023 at 1:17 am
That’s a tough one for sure.
February 2, 2013 at 9:18 am
Thank you , that was once again very informative . Shame about the poor animals that did not make it , just goes to show it’s not wise to waste time in these matters .
March 24, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Hey Boyd.
Sorry about the very late response.
I agree, time is crucial in many of these cases and acting fast is mostly the better choice.
October 20, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Hello
Where can I ask a question please Than you bobby
February 2, 2013 at 2:46 pm
This is a good lesson for pet owners, Rayya – see a vet as soon as a lump appears and get it checked out. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks again for a very informative post.
March 24, 2013 at 8:01 pm
Hey Barb,
Sorry for the very late response.
I do home the take home message resonated for all readers and that they will approach lumps in their pets better.
So how’s your old doggie? Did you end up booking her in for a dental? Fire away any more questions or reservations about it that you may have 🙂
March 25, 2013 at 8:20 am
My vet said Poppy needs to have her teeth cleaned, but due to her old age (she is 14), putting her under anesthetic concerns me greatly. My vet has tried to re-assure me, but I’m still not sure. She’s a tiny shih-tzu and only weighs 6kg.
March 30, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Hey Barb. I can totally understand your hesitation. However, her dental disease will be causing her pain and can lead to serious infections. I often see geriatric dogs with kidney failure secondary to dental disease. Best to weigh up the pros and cons of a dental.
February 2, 2013 at 6:56 pm
Such vital and good information. Thank you. I really do admire the fact that you can deal with all this and share your knowledge so freely. I must admit to being somewhat of a complete sissy when it comes to the blood and guts side of things 🙂
March 24, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Hello and so sorry about the very late response.
Thank you for your awesome feedback and appreciating my efforts at spreading pet education.
I can totally understand you not stomaching all the pictures. I have been there myself.
February 3, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Superb post. Quite shocking how long some people can prevaricate before taking action.
March 24, 2013 at 8:04 pm
Hello and so sorry about my very late reply
I have seen many more shocking looking lumps that I don’t have pictures off. Some pet owners just don’t know any better and I sure hope this post helps them in their future decisions.
February 10, 2013 at 8:36 am
Wow, some of those lumps were huge. Thank you for yet another great post filled with lots of much needed information and advice. Bless you for all you do to save those sweeties that are brought to you. Hugs and nose kisses from me and my sweeties.
March 24, 2013 at 8:05 pm
Hey Chancy,
Thank you for your ongoing and amazing support.
I really appreciate it.
I agree, some of those lumps were just MASSIVE.
Lots of hugs
February 12, 2013 at 3:35 am
Oh my these are some difficult photos to look at but necessary. Each owner must take responsibility or pets. So sad the owners waited to long…. GOD bless you for sharing and educating people on preventative care, take your animal in as quickly as possible when you get a lump. My dog Jewel is all healed up now after her lumps (fatty tissue) were removed and her hair is growing back. Nice no scars to be seen by summer unlike the human body. 🙂
March 24, 2013 at 8:07 pm
Hey Melody,
I am so sorry about my belated response.
Thank you for your comment. They were pretty graphic photographs.
So glad Jewel full recovered and her scars were be completely hidden. 🙂
I have a new neighbor that I adore, it’s the cutest donkey ever ❤
February 24, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Reblogged this on Donkey Whisperer Farm Blog.
February 24, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Reblogged this on Ann Novek–With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors.
March 6, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Reblogged this on Passionate About Pets and commented:
This is the sequel to Dr Rayya’s recent post “Oh no, I discovered a lump on my pet Part 1”. WARNING: Some of the photos are a bit gory.
March 8, 2013 at 8:37 am
Thanks for sharing this Barb. As an owner of two lumpy dogs that have had everything from Hystiocytomas, Mast Cell Tumors, Lipomas, to Sebaceous Cysts – I can’t stress enough how important it is to have lumps checked early on by your vet.
March 10, 2013 at 9:58 am
We took our Golden Retriever, Luca, to the vet straight away when a small lump showed on his head but nothing could be done. He had “Osteosarcoma” in the front of his skull. He lived 10 months and we enjoyed every minute with him.
Thank you for a great article.
March 26, 2013 at 9:42 pm
Great advice,i found a lump on Forrest and had him to our vet the next day,our regular vet was away and the locum had him booked in for surgery the next day,when we bought Forrest in our vet was back ,he re checked and said no operation was needed and explained fatty cysts to us.I was relieved that Forrest was not operated on and relieved about the lump.We check regularly for changes.Doc also had a lump that appeared overnight,this time our vet was worried and he was in for surgery the next day,it was a very deeply implanted grass seed that had travelled under his armpit,he had a large scar but it was worth the good news that it was not cancer.My point is,you cannot assume what is going on,i treat any health issue as if it was my own or any other family member.Sometimes we don’t want to know,but ignoring the problem is to me not an option, we owe our pets to be vigilant.
March 30, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Hello Bev. Thank you so much for sharing your own experience with us. You are absolutely right, your pets count on you to look after them.
June 26, 2013 at 2:13 pm
Thanks for the information Dr. Rayya. I have a shihtzu/maltese mix. She is 4 years old. A few months ago we noticed a lump on the back side of her neck (what we see when looking down at her). The lump has grown significantly over the last few months. However, there have been times when we thought that it had shrunk only to feel large again. I’m not sure if that is our imagination or what?? Anyway, it also feels irregular. When she went for her annual visit a week ago, the vet suggested that we do surgery to remove it. I definitely think it needs to be examined but the vet did not suggest a needle biopsy first. I didn’t think to ask if it was an option at the time of the visit. Do you know of any reason why this would not be the first plan of treatment?? Thank you.
June 28, 2013 at 11:05 pm
Hello Christi,
Well done on getting your dog’s lump checked out. The fact that it keeps getting bigger then shrinking indicates it is most likely a cyst. However, it is best to remove it surgically and get it sent off for histopathology to get a definitive diagnosis.
I generally perform fine needle samples on most lumps unless they are just too small to get a proper sample from. I always offer to do that but explain to my clients that I may not got a diagnostic sample.
Some veterinarians do not have much experience with collecting fine needle aspirates or being able to interpret the results under a microscope and so they don’t offer that option.
I think it is great that your veterinarian is giving you a viable option in offering to remove it. I would request the sample is sent off for histopathology so you can get a diagnosis.
I hope my answer has answered your questions.
Best of luck. Please do update me on how your doggie goes :-).
Take care.
July 25, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Hi,I came across this site when looking up info about a lump I found on my dogs paw. It’s small and red and he licks it when you pay it any attention. ( Not sure how much he’s licking it when I’m not around). He’s not limping and it doesn’t seem to be affecting him in anyway? But reading this post about lumps has got me worried!
July 28, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Hello Jasmine,
You should definitely get your dog’s lump checked out by your local veterinarian. Not just for peace of mind but also to make sure it isn’t something that requires treatment or surgery.
Goodluck.
August 3, 2013 at 11:13 am
My dog Ace is a ten year old pit bill mix I rescued from the pound when he was 6 months old. He suddenly has three hard lumps on the tip of his penis, he is licking and the hair is falling out around the lumps. He also has other bumps all over his body that I’ve talked to the vet about, but they haven’t said anything about them. I’m taking him to the vet in the morning and I will post an update on his condition.
September 8, 2013 at 1:02 pm
This is a great post and I can’t believe the size of some of those tumors! I was just wondering if I could get an idea of how long it is okay to watch a bump for. I have the opposite problem of some of the people you referenced in this article (who wait a long time to have things checked out), and I think my vet thinks I’m a little nuts. I go in *as soon* as I find anything (same day or next day…occasionally I will wait 1-2 days), and this summer I ended up going in twice for bug bites (not infected/inflamed, just bites I was afraid were mast cell tumors or something sinister). My dog is fairly young (approximately 4 years old) and is generally healthy and in very good physical shape. I’m just hoping to find out if there is a time frame that you would recommend watching a bump to see if it goes away (one that isn’t bleeding or changing size overnight) before going to the vet. A few days? A week? Any input would be appreciated. And again, this is assuming the bump does not actually look sinister and is not bothering my dog – I know in either of those cases she would need to be seen ASAP.
September 18, 2013 at 1:25 pm
Dear Chrissy,
Many apologies for the delayed reply.
I think it is great that you are attentive to your dog and immediately notice any new lumps. I don’t think there is a safe guideline on how long to wait for a lump to be checked. The sooner you get your vet involved, the better.
Some lumps can look benign but aren’t!
The trick is observation, finding them, monitoring them and getting your vet involved immediately. Your vet should always offer you to do cytology (collect a fine needle aspirate from the lump in question and examine it under the microscope). Unfortunately not all fine needle aspirates performed collect enough cells (some lumps don’t aspirate well) and so for those, you need to watch them closely or remove them if they are growing rapidly.
I hope this information helps.
Cheers,
Rayya
September 21, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Hello we took our 8 yr pitbull to vet today he has a hard lump in skin oval shaped size of about 3 in long but not hanging more flat it wasnt there 3days ago the vet gave us cephalexin 500 and thought it was a infected cyst the lump is on his bellyside and is bleeding thick blood stringy I just wanted your opinion on this please get back to me
September 23, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Hello Andrew,
Is your pitbull bothered with the lump? Has the lump shrunken since the cephalexin course was started?
You should ask your vet to collect a fine needle aspirate directly from the lump to fully assess under the microscope. Some lumps don’t aspirate well but some do. It is important to know exactly what you are dealing with.
Some cysts do get infected but it is easy to assume it is a cyst when it may not be! Without cytology or a biopsy collection, you can’t be 100% sure of the type of lump.
I hope this information helps.
Please let me know how it goes.
October 13, 2013 at 10:43 am
My 10yrs old femel dog has a big lower abdominal mass I took her to the vet but it was to much money to removed it. Thanks
November 11, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Hey Jackie. Sorry to hear that it as too expensive to remove your dog’s lump. I hope the lump hasn’t grown and isn’t a nasty one.
December 6, 2013 at 3:38 pm
I found 2 BB sized hard lumps on my dogs snout below her eye one on each side of her snout I can move them almost an inch around and I doesn’t hurt her she plays fine and Eats and acts normal she’s about 10 months old. Have you ever seen this and should I be worried?
December 6, 2013 at 3:48 pm
You should get the lumps checked out by your vet. I can’t really comment on what they are as I haven’t seen them and the description you gave isn’t enough. Always best to get a vet to examine your dog and tell you if these lumps need further investigation. Good luck.
January 24, 2014 at 11:32 am
my dog has a large lump on her front leg just under the armpit. if vets were’nt so expensive I’d have it checked out!
January 28, 2014 at 11:22 am
Thank you for sharing all this information. I have a 13 year old Chihuahua that I adopted 6 months ago. She developed a lump and swelling on her neck about a month after I adopted her. I have had all kinds of testing and biopsies done and still have no answer as to what it is. We tested for cancer and the results came back negative. The swelling goes up, we give her antibiotics, the swelling goes down, but the lumps don’t go away. As soon as I finish the antibiotics, the swelling returns. Now she has developed a new lump in the front of her neck, her throat. She has not had a lump there before. These lumps are small, about the size of a small grape or a bit smaller at their smallest. When there is swelling, they do swell to the size of half of a small orange. Is there anyway I can send you her test results via email and you tell me what you think it may be? Or tell me what I haven’t tested for that I may need to test for?
January 28, 2014 at 9:50 pm
Dear Marisa,
I am so sorry to hear about all that your chinhuahua has been through.
She wounds like a very interesting case.
Please do email me her full medical history including biopsy results. You can get your vets to give you all the medical history to email me.
If you can’t take pictures of all the lumps she currently has, that would also be very helpful.
I can then hopefully give you some advise based on that.
My email is followup@rayyathevet.com
I look forward to receiving all the history and pictures.
Cheers,
Rayya
January 28, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Thank you for these two articles. I’ve had to google about lumps after finding the second lump on my 10 month old scottie’s back. The first came right after he was microchipped. The lump was right at the microchip site, under the
skin and within a couple weeks it was the size of a Ping pong ball. Since the lump didn’t seem to bother him, it was treated with antibiotics, which reduced it a little but only temporarily. After an inconclusive needle aspiration, it was excised, along with the chip. The incision didn’t heal well and required another excision to remove infection. Since then, it’s healed nicely but now another has formed over the top corner of his shoulder blade. He was microchipped at about 6 months old and now has this new one. Isn’t he a little young to get recurring lipomas?
January 28, 2014 at 9:54 pm
Dear Karen
Boy have you had an ordeal with your puppy.
The history of your pooch sounds very odd.
Did they send the lump off that was excised with the microchip for histopathology? I would have definitely done that given his history.
With the new lumps he developed, have they been biopsies or fine needle aspirates collected?
It is definitely odd for a young dog to develop lipomas.
If you would like me to give you better advise, then email me his full medical history including pathology reports if available and send me pictures of his current lumps.
My email is followup@rayyathevet.com
Cheers,
Rayya
January 30, 2014 at 10:30 am
I have a 22 year old cat with a lump on his head. He scratched it so it broke and some white stuff came out. It didnt smell anything. Now it looks like there is a circle of fat around with a pretty deep hole in the middle. It seems to have trouble healing. I want to take him to the vet but my mom is being reluctant cause of his age, shes scared he wouldnt survive being sedated. He hasnt shown any discomfort or pain from this but im worried and not sure what to do, any advice at all? Would love some.
January 31, 2014 at 12:07 am
Hey Tess.
That is so amazing that you have a 22 year old cat. :-). Sorry to hear about the lump on his head.
Given his age, it is crucial to get him checked out by a vet as he may need antibiotics. They don’t have to sedate him to biopsy the lump. It all depends on what they think is going on. We tend to try to do certain procedures under local anaesthetic if the patient is too old, the question is will your cat be cooperative. I really highly recommend you take you much loved cat to a vet you trust and can openly communicate all your concerns. Hope this helps. Tell me how you go 🙂
February 16, 2014 at 7:56 pm
I found the article very informative. I just recently lost my cat 14 hours after his surgery to remove a large lump near his groin area. Strange thing is that a week and a half before discovering it, there was no lump. Once opened, it was filled with blood. The vet figured a capsule burst and that’s why the lump wasn’t there prior. Any idea what type of cancer this would have been? I have never heard of a sac filled with blood over the cancerous tissue. I didn’t bother paying for the pathology since kitty passed away. I also don’t understand why he passed away since he was just under 8 yrs of age. He lost quite a bit of blood and ended up hypothermic with high respiration, but they did have heating pads on and under him, raising his temperature to 36 celcius. This just happened 3 days ago, so I’m still in shock. Any information you could provide will be very helpful in understanding this.
February 16, 2014 at 9:33 pm
Hey Monica. I am so sorry to hear about the tragic loss of your cat. I really can’t tell you what type of cancer your cat may have had based on your history. Vascular tumours include haemangiosarcomas and they can be quite aggressive. Did your cat get blood tested prior to the surgery? Other possibilities are a clotting problem either an immune mediated condition like immune mediated thrombocytopaenia or ratsak poisoning. I highly recommend you discuss all your questions directly with your vet and hopefully they can give you more answers. Again I’m so sorry about your loss. 😦
February 19, 2014 at 8:30 am
Thank you for your reply. I was just trying to get some insight outside the clinic. I’ve began reading up on different types of cancers, and what you mentioned (haemagiosarcoma), does sound the closest to what was going on and what I had seen during his surgery. Now, is it normal for cats to be asymptomatic? The cat had no typical symptoms of cancer, such as lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, etc. Unless it had something to do with the fact that he was a purebred Bengal – crazy energy, ate like a pig, etc. I’m just trying to see if there could have been a sign I missed.
February 24, 2014 at 9:24 pm
Hey Monica,
Cats can display very variable responses with cancers. Some don’t go off their food until the cancer is widely spread, some get ill immediately. So it is very subjective. Sorry but based on all you have told me, we are grasping at straws in trying to really determine what may have occurred.
It is simply tragic to lose your gorgeous Bengal at such a young age.
We generally offer post mortems to clients if something went really wrong and we don’t know what. It is best conducted by a different vet clinic or pathologist to prevent any bias. I hope you were offered that.
February 19, 2014 at 8:36 am
I forgot to mention that there was no lab work done. He was supposed to have a CBC, but for some reason it was not done prior to the surgery. But due to blood loss, he became anemic. I believe it was the PCV that was down to 17, but there was no transfusion done. And no chance of poisoning since he only had access to the entire top floor (all bedrooms), and half the second floor (living room).
February 17, 2014 at 1:01 pm
I just noticed a lump on my 2 year old dog between her shoulder blades. The vet scanned it and it’s in the area of the microchip. He said that they have been known to sometimes cause scar tissue, inflammation and “maybe even cancer”. Of course i googled it and there were a few horror stories about microchips and cancer and just as many if not more stories about how those are actually extremely rare if not incorrectly tied together.
My vet wants to X-ray the site first. THEN, i assume based on that he will know whether to removed it. My concern is the cost and whether he is following the most cost effective but safe option. Does he really have to do a $200+ X-ray ? I honestly am not even sure if i will be able to afford surgery alone, should it come to that, let alone an X-ray AND surgery. Could he do a needle aspiration to check of cancerous cells and leave it alone altogether if that comes out fine? If thats not possible for some reason could he just skip the X-ray and just take the thing out? I love my dog and am so worried and would love to go through every possibly protocol if i could afford it, but i can’t.
I also am curious if it’s ever possible to simply ask the vet for a discount? I had an 18 year old dog that died in 2012, he was her vet for 16 years and in that time i am guessing i paid him $10,000 US, and it just happens this is all coming at a bad time, wondering if it would be wrong to point out how much business he has gotten from me and wondering if he could take mercy this one time?
Thank you
February 17, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Dear Kathy,
Firstly, sorry to hear about your dog’s lump and I can understand the stress it has caused you given your financial situation.
In all honesty, I feel you should be directing all your questions to your vet as he is the one treating your dog. Your questions are very fair and so you should not have to seek another vet’s opinion to help you make your decision.
Xray sounds like the least invasive procedure that will show whether or not the microchip is involved or not. It is still not going to be 100% conclusive and you may still require either a fine needle aspirate being collected or surgical removal of the lump in question. So again, please talk to your vet and make an informed decision together about what is the best next step for your dog.
As to whether or not you can ask your vet for a discount, honestly that is not my place to tell you. You need to decide that one for yourself.
Goodluck.
March 17, 2014 at 8:48 am
Hi thanks for this great article! We just found a lump at the base of our dogs tail the vet said it is not connected to her anal glands an idea on the approx cost to remove it? Thanks!
March 17, 2014 at 8:58 am
Hey Kelley
Glad you have gotten your dog’s lump checked. I cannot estimate cost of removal as I haven examined your dog. Each vet clinic has its own estimates based on procedures. Best to discuss costs directly with the vet dealing with your dog. Good luck.
March 18, 2014 at 3:00 am
Thank you!
May 16, 2014 at 11:58 am
I recently got my dog microchipped, because she is a very active dog, only a year on June 1st, and she constantly slips out the door. I thought the microchip was the best route because we can’t always chase her down. I got the microchipping done about 2-3 weeks ago, and now she has a small bubble-like lump in her skin that is on her rib cage. Right now it is only about the size of a dime, but I still worry. Am I right to worry?
May 16, 2014 at 1:59 pm
Well done on microchipping your cheeky Houdini pooch. With regards to the lump on your dog’s rib cage, it shouldn’t be related to the microchip as that is inserted under the skin between the shoulders. Sometimes microchips move down from the original position and that may be the case with your dog. I recommend you get your dog’s lump checked by your regular veterinarian to determine what it is. Good luck.
May 31, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Dr my 10 month cat got a lump under his jaw today. He is eating normal, playing happy. Should I worry?
June 1, 2014 at 4:33 am
Hello Emmy. It is definitely worth taking your cat to the vet. His lump needs to be checked out especially if it has appeared suddenly. It may be an abscess that requires draining and antibiotics. However, it may be many other things. Please get your cat checked our by your regular veterinarian asap for peace of mind. Good luck.
June 4, 2014 at 1:45 am
Dear Dr I took Rusty asap , they did aids test, super complete blood test ,and it was ok nothing wrong. They took samples of the ball under his jaw, and sent it to the lab I have to wait 10 days in the mean time the balls are going to his neck and getting bigger.No medicine and when he breaths or purrs it is making a funny nose. Only if he doesn’t eat he has to go back. They don’t know what is going on. Please help , I feel the aids test for this emergency was not necessary. he has another ball behind his leg..
June 4, 2014 at 2:21 am
Dear Emmy. Well done on taking Rusty to the vet. I am glad his lump was biopsied. It is definitely worth testing for feline immunodeficiency virus ( (FIV) as that can be a cause for lumps and it is important to know if it is present.
Given more lumps are appearing, it’s best to directly communicate with the vet managing Rusty. I can’t really give you advise as I’m not physically examining him and don’t have access to his medical file.
Based on the information you have provided me, I suspect his lymph nodes are enlarged. They are distributed all over the body and you shouldn’t feel them of the are normal sized. When there is infection, inflammation or cancer, they become palpable as they are bigger. Did your vet collect a sample called a fine needle aspirate of the lump and examine it under the microscope to rule out infection/am abscess?
Please go back to your vet and ask them all your questions. If you don’t trust the vet seeing your cat, then find one you trust. Best of luck. Please let me know what happens with Rusty.
June 6, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Hi, i have a female cat and i just noticed a small golf ball size maybe smaller lump on her right shoulder. its soft and she doesn’t seem in pain when i touch it and all the hair from the area is gone. Could you maybe shed some some light on whats going on? About a little over a month ago a stray male cat attacked her and she has some small balled spots all over her body from it (which seem to bee healing fine) and there’s scabs where the bald spots are, which is what i thought this was on her shoulder cause there’s a small scab there and the hair is missing and the lump well maybe hasn’t always been there but it sure hasn’t been this large, and i would know, she is my child practically i cuddle and rub up on her all the time. Anyways could you pleeeease help I’m worried.
Thank You.
June 6, 2014 at 7:17 pm
Dear Stefanie. Based on the history you have given me, I highly suspect your kitty cat has an abscess. I may be wrong as I haven’t examined your cat. I highly recommend you book your cat in to see your local vet. Your vet can collect a fine needle aspirate from the lump to rule in/out am abscess. It will require drainage and she may require antibiotics and possibly pain killers. Please let me know how you go. Good luck 🙂
June 12, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Hi Dr i just wanted to let you know i took my kitty into the vet this morning her abscess busted so i took her in as soon as i could and she does have an abscess which was due to the male cat that attacked her they said she will obviously be fine and gave me an antibiotic to give her 🙂 thank you for answering my question it did in a way re leave some of my worries that it wasn’t to outrageously bad
June 12, 2014 at 3:46 pm
Good your kitty cat got the treatment she needed. Glad I could be of help. Wishing her a full recovery 🙂
June 21, 2014 at 10:57 pm
Dr Rayya HELP……….Do you remember me? This is Emmy and Rusty from Orlando Florida. As you know thanks to your advice I took him to the vet asap, after so many blood tests, HIV, thyroid, redos again medicines, samples of the swollen lymph nodes under his jaw……the doctors are surprise he is alive, eating well, playing, being naughty as always, the DOCTORS can not figure out until now what Rusty’s problem is. All the tests are coming back inconclusive again and again. His lumps are sometimes bigger, smaller, divided in 2, it is costing me a fortune and I am still in the beginning again.Dear Dr please HELP what about a biopsy, is it dangerous? How long will it take to recover? Why the wait? Any suggestions? Please go back to your files and find us. Sincerely thanks for helping all of us, desperate pet parents: Emmy.
June 21, 2014 at 11:05 pm
Hello Emmy. Sorry you have not had answers yet. Has Rusty received any treatment? He should definitely get a biopsy done to rule in/out lymphoma; a type of cancer. You must make sure he is not on any cortisone medication before the biopsy is performed. I really can’t give you much more information as I am not examining your cat and don’t have access to his full medical history. Please discuss your concerns and questions directly with the vets treating him. I hope the biopsy helps you determine what is going on.
June 21, 2014 at 11:10 pm
Emma… You must discuss your questions about the biopsy directly with your vet. Each vet clinic had different protocols for collecting biopsies. Some do it under sedation only plus local anaesthetic, others perform under a full general anaesthetic. Results of biopsy also varies between laboratories. We generally get the results within a week maximum. There are risks with every procedure performed under sedation or anaesthetic. Again, you need to discuss those directly with your vet. Good luck. Hope Rusty continues to feel well and hope his lumps resolve.
June 23, 2014 at 7:06 am
My cat bane has a big lump on his neck, under his chin. He was feline lukemia positive when we got him. his owers moved and just tossed him outside. The lump changes size almost daily. It goes from the size of a marble to the size of a tennis ball. I took him to the vet, but because I’m on disability only, I am barely able to pay rent each month. when it swells up, his breathing gets raspy and it looks like it’s painfull for him to swallow. his eyes sometimes water and he coughs a little. the vet gave him a steroid shot that last three days and an antibiotic that lasts two weeks. it shrunk down and stayed that way for a little over a week. it never completely went away, bt he seemed his old self again. after about a week it came right back. it’s hard and almost kinda heart shaped. the vet said to her it looked like cancer. what should I do next. take him back to the vet to get test I could never afford or assume it’s cancer and humanly put his to sleep? I just hate to seem in pain trying to swallow and breath. he already lost about pounds over all this and can barely eat. I love him so much and it is gonna kill me to put him to sleep.
June 23, 2014 at 9:09 pm
Dear Tina. Well done on adopting Bane after he had been abandoned. Based on the information you have provided, I suspect he is suffering from lymphoma, a type of cancer. Patients respond to palliative care which consists of cortisone. You can keep him comfortable. As soon as you notice he doesn’t have a good quality of life, then you need to let your vet help along and let him rest in peace. Please discuss that directly with your vet. Enjoy every precious moment you have left with your special friend.
June 24, 2014 at 3:41 am
Thank you so very much with your quick response, I really appreciate it.
Tina
June 24, 2014 at 6:02 pm
Tina you are most welcome. Please let me know what happens with your special friend.
June 26, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Well, on Monday he stopped eating, drinking and using the litter box. he could only breath with his mouth open and he sounded like Darth Vader. I called my vet and him euthanized on Tuesday. it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but I knew it was for the best.
June 26, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Hello Tina. I’m so sorry about your huge loss. You did the right thing by him. May his beautiful soul rest in peace.
July 5, 2014 at 9:36 pm
I noticed a lump on my 3yo golden retrievers back right leg. Came up all of a sudden cause it was probably half the size of a golf ball. Brought him to vet straight away – they did blood tests, needle aspirate etc. No infection seen, nothing from initial aspirate. Then he had swelling on opposite side of his leg – and we were following up so did biopsy. Again no infection, nothing seen although the extract they took they said fell apart a little bit when they were taking it out so they put some on a slide as well?! – not sure what that means, assume it means whatever is inside the lump/swelling is not solid. BTW, it is near his joint but not on it. They also thought it might be a reaction to trauma but would have expected my dog to be limping which he is not. He’s not limping, is happy, eating, playing. Normally he walks and plays with his brother off the lead and let him go back to normal routine but noticed swelling got a bit worse and he limped until I rested him so letting him go “hell for leather” if you want to put it that way obviously does result in a reaction and some limping. To cut a long store short, lump is still there and swelling is still there and it is 2 months later. It is not going down. Vet now saying need to go to soft tissue specialist, talking about removing lump/swelling and saying things like because it is hind leg might need skin grafts and if I leave it we might have to amputate if it gets too bad. Just the way this was landed on me scared me and left me wondering if they are telling me the right thing. He is insured but that is not the point, I just want to do the right thing for him and at this point I’m not sure what that is. Need some advice as don’t know what to do.
July 5, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Dear Sue. I am sorry to hear about your ordeal. It is very scary when you have tried everything to determine what your dog’s lump is and you kept getting nowhere.
Based on the information you provided, I can’t really tell what’s going on. Personally of a dog’s lame, I’d also be xraying the leg. As for the lump, a fine needle aspirate doesn’t always yield a good sample and I always then recommend collecting a punch or wedge biopsy (a chunk of the lump rather than just as aspirate) and send it off to the pathologist. Generally you always get a diagnosis based on that but not always. You can then approach the treatment appropriately.
I suspect your golden retriever may have a mast cell tumour as it commonly affects this breed. It also can flare up with activity. If your dog is insured, definitely best to take him to a soft tissue specialist to get it removed.
Your vet has done a good work up and given you the option of referral. As he or she have been unable to give you a diagnosis, it’s best to get a second opinion and go to a specialist.
Hope this information helps.
Good luck and let me know how your dog goes.
July 5, 2014 at 10:32 pm
Hi Rayya,
Thank you for your quick reply. I should have said they already did numerous xrays but they did not show up anything either. In essence xrays show nothing and the aspirate and biopsy are showing nothing either. They also said about doing an MRI. My worry is about putting him through the whole process of getting a removal done if there is not much skin on his leg and going through the whole process of possible skin grafts. I guess I cannot understand why a biopsy and xrays would not be able to show what is wrong with him as I would have thought the biopsy itself would have shown if it was cancer but they said it is showing nothing but I’m not the professional. My husband and I will both have to talk about it and go from there. I will keep you updated.
September 7, 2014 at 6:26 pm
Hi I have a 6 week old pit bull today she suddently cried when I touched her neck I looked and felt a little soft lump and she never had it I was thinking a spider bite her something of that sort but not shure and I’m scared she was shaking also. Help please should I take her too the vet?
September 7, 2014 at 7:40 pm
Dear Cindy. Sorry to hear about your puppy’s sore lump. It’s definitely worth taking her to your vet. In terms of how soon, it depends on how she is. If she’s bright and alert and eating well, it may be able to wait until tomorrow. Otherwise, definitely worth contacting the after hours emergency vet to discuss your concerns. If she got vaccinated recently, it may be a vaccination reaction. Otherwise, it may be a reaction to a bite or a few other possibilities. Hope this helps. Please let me know how she goes.
July 9, 2014 at 2:02 am
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November 16, 2014 at 11:52 am
Hi Rayya
My cat has had a lump on him that will fill and then deflate, it’s been there for over a year now. It doesbt seem to bother him or hurt him but he does lick at it a lot. I have a feeling it might be a clogged oil gland but I do worry that it might be something worse. Any insight would be great I do have some photos that I can send as well as it’s hard to know I’m sure just be description. Thanks so much
November 16, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Dear Ashley. Based on your description, it sounds like your kitty cat has a cyst. Cysts fill up with fluid and can fill up with fluid and drain and refill. Unfortunately, a picture won’t give me any more information. I’d have to physically examine the lump and collect a biopsy via a needle (fine needle aspirate) to determine if it’s a cyst or something else. I highly recommend you take your cat to your local vet so he/she can examine your cat and do a biopsy. Best to take him in when the lump is visible. Given he’s licking it, it’s obviously bothering him and needs veterinary attention. Hope this information helps. Please let me know how you get on. Cheers, Rayya
November 21, 2014 at 7:12 am
I have a 2 year old pitt bull and last December he got a lump under the left side of his jaw. I took him to the vet right away and they aspirated it and determined it was an infection put him on antibiotic and it went away within a week. About 3 weeks ago it appeared in the same place again. I called the vet and they prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a antibiotic he was on it about a week and the lump had more than doubled in size, I took him in and they lanced it and put in a drain and told me it was likely a grass seed foreign body. At that time they also increased his antibiotic and he had the drain in for a week. After having the drain pulled it was definitely smaller but not gone. His antibiotic was out and within 2 days it has swollen back up again. We again took him back to the vet and they prescribed a different antibiotic for him. I am so worried about him because we are also leaving in 2 days for Thanksgiving where him and our husky will be boarded for 6 days while we are gone. I have spoken both with the boarding facility and vet and they are aware of his issue and the vet said to bring him to them to stay while we are gone if it gets worse in the next few days. We have also scheduled to have a more aggressive procedure done once we get back. I am just not sure what to do from here how do we make sure we get the foreign body removed so this problem clears up?
November 21, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Deae Amber,
Sorry to hear about your pooch’s ordeal. Grass seeds can be super frustrating as you don’t always find them and they keep tracking. Trick is to take him to Vets as soon as lump appears as likelihood of finding increases then. However, it is important that your vets collect biopsy samples to ensure that it is indeed a benign or cancerous lump or a nasty infection. Should never only assume it’s a grass seed. Hope this information helps. Please let me know how you get on. Cheers,
Rayya
December 28, 2014 at 4:48 pm
Dr Rayan help me understand|: My cat Rusty had 2 lumps under his jaws 8 months ago I wonder if you remember. Any way finally I found a Dr that prescribe me a brow liquid medicine and it went away. On November 30, 2014 suddenly he had problems breathing, he started crying like I never heard him before, he tried to hide it looked like he was choking. I tried to pumped his stomach, when I tried to pull his tongue, he threw up a pinkish liquid, collapse and died. He was happy and playing and ate good before all this until 5:00 pm, he died in less than 30 minutes. I rushed him to the hospital anyway and the vet said first, it was probably heart failure and in the end we will never know. he was only 16 months old. Please in your experience what the pinkish liquid meant. Plus she told me his sister may die the same way eventually. Their parents are stray cats and are still alive. I got the babies when they were 5 days old. He was Rusty from Orlando Florida.She looks happy and healthy, never got any lump. As always thank you for your compassion and love for every pet. God bless you.
December 28, 2014 at 9:52 pm
Dear Emmy. I’m so sorry for your huge and tragic loss of Rusty. Unfortunately I don’t have the answers. As I previously replied to you, I suspect given how quickly he went down hill and given he was so young, a poisoning would be high on my list : rat poison. I don’t see how your vet can assume that your cat’s litter mates are going to die the same way given there was no diagnosis of what happened to Rusty. You need to realise you’ll never get a clear picture on exactly what happened and you should stop beating yourself up about it. Take care.
January 3, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Dr, Rayya,
Since these are just fatty lumps under the skin instead of surgery couldn’t you use something like liposuction to remove them?
January 26, 2015 at 8:01 am
These stories brought me to tears. I found a small lump-ish area under my shitzus chin while petting her today. It was rubbed kindof raw, and she had a fairly good size matt of hair there. I googled to see if it could just be irritation from the matt, and your post came up. What is your thought on this? Could it be just from irritation? Should I give it a day or two with some Neosporin? Vet bills are very expensive, but I will take her if need be. Thanks for sharing!
January 26, 2015 at 8:29 am
Hello Jessica. It may just be a wart that your dog traumatised. Some need resection if they recurrently bleed. Yes it’s safe to use neosporin ointment but sparingly as it’s not a veterinary product. Definitely worth getting a vet to check it out within the next few days. Please let me know how it all goes. Goodluck. Cheers, Rayya
March 26, 2015 at 12:06 pm
I have a 10 wk old boxer husky mix. today I notice his penis area has like 3-5 lumps on the sides. what could this be? he also has been having diarrhea and vomiting at night but I believe that has to do with switching his puppy food.also he is on meds for sarcoptic mange.
April 3, 2015 at 10:22 am
Hello I need insight I hav w almost five year olds pittbull I noticed. A lump under jaw more by mandibular area and took her to vet all I see is cancer cancer cancer on the web he gave her antibiotics and it did not go down in two days he did a FNA and the results came back inconclusive his advice wait a few days to see if it goes down and bring her in for biopsy I am scare does inconclusive results mean that my dog has cancer but can not be diagnosed yet .? Does it mean that she does not have something more simple like and infenction can u give me insight while I wait for a few days I have lost all sleep my dogs are my kids and the only other symptoms she has is kinda smacking her lips a lot or yawning when I touch her lump she is such a good dog
April 21, 2015 at 7:12 am
Nikki you have done all the right things with your dog. Unfortunately without further work up, you won’t get your answer. Other possibilities are bone infection, dental disease, foreign body and etc. Hopefully under anaesthetic they will be able to get a more conclusive result. Goodluck. Home thus information helps
May 17, 2015 at 2:37 am
Hi, I found a small ( 1/4-1/2″) semi-soft lump to both llq of my Cocker Spaniel. They don’t seem to bother her, but she also doesn’t really like me examining them. I just want to feel to see how deep, hard or uncomfortable they are. She is approximately 8 years old, has never had a litter, and was spayed as a puppy. Overall, she has been healthy, and we have been really been blessed with her as far as far as her being a Cocker Spaniel. We have been fighting a skin yeast infection though, which could mean her immune system is down. She has only had 1 or maybe 2 ear infx. Her whole life. I know she needs to go to the vet. She is my baby, and my heart will break if it is cancer as I have had one Cocker right before her that died of cancer. I’m thinking Mammalery cycst or a fatty cyst. Any advice or similar stories would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
May 17, 2015 at 12:53 pm
Dear Lynette,
Sorry about the late reply. I definitely think your dog needs to be checked out soon. A fine needle aspirate or biopsy of the sample should be collected from the lumps to ascertain what they are. Unfortunately you don’t always get answers on fine needle aspirates and she may require surgery. It’s great she’s desexed as it lowers risk of it being a mammary cancer but doesn’t totally rule it out. If she’s otherwise fit, hopefully early intervention including possible surgery may give her a good outcome. Hope this information helps.
May 24, 2015 at 5:32 am
Hi i have a 6 month iold blue nose pit that I rescued and he had problems as a puppy with gerraria and some other problems that we got rid off. But he just developed a larg growth under his left jaw and it develeped in under 12 hrs. I took him to emergency where they pulled suction with a syrenge and took sample but couldnt find any poccets. They did say that the blood they did get from it had some puss develeping. Anyway they said it could be a bite or fox tail and put him on some antibiotics, then said to wait untill it develops and gets softer. The only problem now is that it has doubled in size in 12 hrs and is hard as a rock. Now ther is a second one developing under his neck and they still are telling me to wait for it to develope. I have been hot compressing it in hopes for it to soften but with no luck. Now im just trying to look for info on subject online and found your thread very informative and helpfull. As well as hoping to seek your opinion on the matter.
June 6, 2015 at 3:51 am
I have a older dog, I had rescued her from a parking lot almost 4 years ago, she is blind and and is a diabetic. I give her insulin and enalapril . Her sugar is Farley stabilized, but on a higher side, her sugar drops too though. When I first picked her up I noticed she had a lump about the size of a quarter on her belly, my vet didn’t seem to concerned at that time, we had to get her health back in a range to worry about anything else, she was only 11 pounds, every bone showing, he said she would not have lived another week. She is now 23 lbs and not at all overweight, I am able to control her diabetes, sometimes harder than others. I took her to the vet about 5 months ago, and asked about the lump on her belly it was about the same size as a ping pong ball, my vet said that if I could get her sugar down to 85 he would remove it, he was scared she would not heal. 5 months later it has close to doubled in size, it moves about an inch in all directions and is hard a lumpy, what should we do, I am scared she won’t make it through surgery. And at best her sugar stays around 115 to 120, better than the 556 when I picked her up, but it also drops several times a week, if I give her more insulin and it drops she has seizures. When I first got her they where often. We woke up during the night and she was having one last week, it was a mild one and the first one in about a year, this one didn’t make her act strange after it. We picked her up feed her and laced her for with syrup. I am so torn as of what to do we have scheduled another visit, what would you do.
June 10, 2015 at 4:31 pm
So if all fine needle biopsies even the one sent out come back inconclusive and the vet didn’t recognize what kind of by looking at it and started out as a pea size and now is about size of an almond what should I do?
June 10, 2015 at 6:26 pm
The lump needs to be removed immediately with good margins . It may be a sarcoma, type of tumour that doesn’t aspirate well. I would send the lump off to the lab for histopathology to determine if it’s been completely removed. You need to communicate directly with your vet. Hope this information helps. Goodluck
May 2, 2017 at 4:50 pm
It was removed and benign so we are super happy!
June 24, 2015 at 2:44 pm
We have a 4 month old boxer.. Yesterday he had a swollen eye. swollen really big on the underneath eye lid.. This morning, we were so relieved that the eye had gone down and was perfectly normal.. He never acted like he was hurting.. then, tonight, we noticed the jowl on the same side has a lump in it.. it is kind of like it is dragging it down further than the other side jowl. He still does not seem to be in any pain.. the only other strange thing that has happened was that about two days ago, he had one bout of diarrhea, then after that had normal bowel movements. I can’t imagine that this is an emergency since he acts fine, but it seems weird. I am kind of a worry wort and am sure I will take him to his vet, but not sure if I should wait a day or two or just go ahead and call. Thanks
June 24, 2015 at 3:54 pm
Hey Stacie. You should take your puppy to the vet immediately. Don’t wait. Dogs are very resilient. Although he may seem fine to you and pain free, based on his symptoms, he should be examined by a vet before things get more complicated. Goodluck
June 28, 2015 at 1:55 pm
I just noticed a large solid lump just underneath my dog’s jaw. I touch him all over everyday. So this just popped up last night or sometime today. Could it be from a bee sting? The skin looks normal, it doesn’t seem to bother him. I’m going to take him in, but would still like to hear some advice
July 4, 2015 at 11:10 pm
Hello Mary. It may be a bee sting but definitely can’t rule out many other possibilities like an abscess. Hope you took him to the vet and got some answers about the lump.
July 16, 2015 at 9:54 am
Hello, our cat (6 years old) very suddenly developed a big lump on his shoulder area. It’s about the size of half a tennis ball. I took him to the vet the very next day and she tried to take a fine needle aspirate. I wasn’t too happy with her explanation and so I asked, the day after, for a second opinion, from a more experienced vet. While we were there the lab results came back but they said that the aspirate was not a good one – some suggestion of an inflammatory response rather than cancer – though how can they be sure if the sample is not very good? The cat is now on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories but the lump is still very big and hot to touch (the area was shaved by the vet) and not soft and squidgy but holds its shape when pressed. They’ve sent off another sample but again said that it was tricky to get any cells without blood. What are the options now? Neither vet seems to have seen anything like this. I’m worried – we all love our cat. The lump definitely wasn’t there a few days ago. Could cancerous lumps develop so quickly? Should I insist on them taking a biopsy for a more definitive diagnosis? What is the risk to my cat if they do this? How important is it for them to act quickly? They seem to be quite relaxed about it all. Thanks very much.
August 1, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Dear Nan. Sorry about my belated response. Hope your cat’s lump has resolved. I would definitely be collecting a biopsy to diagnose the lump if fine needle aspirate was inconclusive. I’d be interested worried it’s a sarcoma because they can grow rapidly and generally they aren’t diagnosed on fine needle aspirates. As for the risks of sedation /anaesthetic, you need to discuss this with your vet. If your cat has a cancer, the sooner it’s diagnosed and removed, the better. Please let me know how your cat is. Cheers, Rayya
August 9, 2015 at 2:44 pm
I don’t know if you’re still answering questions, but my cat has a very small hard lump that doesn’t move or grow, the first day I saw it, it was red but after cleaning it it cleared up and even has some hair, but it’s been almost two weeks and it hasn’t gone away.
I know it’s silly to pretend for you to give me a diagnosis based on my description, but college student here, can’t really afford a vet unless it’s on a need-basis, and I’ve read every single article I could find on cat lumps (considering basing my thesis on it) and I don’t know, needing some major reassurance here. Thanks
August 27, 2015 at 9:47 pm
Hello Lia. Best approach to any lump is to closely monitor it. I’d it’s growing rapidly or bothering patient, it needs to be assessed immediately. If it’s not growing or bothering patient, it doesn’t always rule it out as being a neoplastic lump. Unfortunately, I can’t give you full reassurance excluding a vet check.
September 24, 2015 at 9:46 am
Hi, I have an 11 yr old German shepherd bitch, and long haired, about 2 months ago we noticed a lump the size of a golf ball on her right rear teat, we took her to the vet and he told us it looked like a tumour but couldn’t say if it was benign or not and said he wasn’t going to test as this often came back inconclusive and he also said he didn’t know what he was up against and because of her age she may not survive surgery, she also has chronic arthritis in her rear legs, so sent us away with a painkiller And as she is eating and drinking ok and still getting around but just seems more tired he said palatine care is probably best. Two months on the rumour has grown to the size of just bigger than a tennis ball and weighs about 2 pounds and is solid hard and the nipple area starting to look a little black around it, although this is the only change, I can’t help wondering if more can be done as you said in your post that age doesn’t mean she can’t survive surgery, and I feel like I’m letting her down I know she’s in pain sometimes but not sure if that is from the arthritis or this lump whatever this lump is, also from the lump is swelling running down to the next teat, so I fear it’s spreading and grown so quickly how do I know what to do for her for the best and how long will this go on for her if I don’t interviene, thank you for any advice, going out of my mind with worry.
September 30, 2015 at 4:42 am
Dear Helen. Well done on taking your dog to the vet as soon as you noticed the lump. Is she desexed? We worry about mammary cancers as they can be super aggressive. If she isn’t desexed, we would’ve be deserving her at the same time the mammary lump is resected to prevent recurrence. You are in a tricky situation now given the lump is spreading. It’s crucial to get chest x-rays prior to any surgery being performed becauseof it’s a nasty cancer and has already spread, you shouldn’t put her through it. I highly recommend you seek a second vet opinion as you obviously aren’t convinced with the advise your previous vet gave you. Best of luck.
October 1, 2015 at 8:15 am
Dear Reyya / thank you for taking the time to reply, in answer to your question the answer is no she was not desexed. she has had litters in the past and i have only just come to finding out that getting them spayed early can prevent them getting mammary cancer, which I sadly regret not getting done now. I have made another appointment to take her back to the vet, as at my last visit I didn’t feel I had a full debrief of what is next for my pet, e.g. what are the stages, how long could all this be for her, will the lump bust, how big will it grow, and so on.. . One thing is for sure, I know I wouldn’t put her through any unpleasant operations at her age, but thank you for the reply and I will go back to my vet, only this time I have a lot more questions.
October 14, 2015 at 1:08 pm
I have a 9 year old cocker spaniel who has a baseball size hard Lump under her and has a small fatty one starting to grow off of it I really don’t got the money til Nov 19th or so what do I do it was small before and she eats runs I don’t want to lose her what do I do is the out come of removing it going to be good or no
October 19, 2015 at 12:57 pm
Hello,
Last week I took my 6 year old shepherd/lab mix to her vet for her yearly heart worm test. Upon the physical the doctor noticed a rather large solid lump (size of a golf ball) just below her throat. He showed me and I told him that was not there 3 weeks ago when I bathed her and never noticed it. He told me he doesn’t think it’s cancerous just by feeling it and to just watch to see if it gets bigger. I’ve been messaging that area and notice it’s going down a little. But I’m also noticing her hair around this area and the front part of her body is getting thinner and really coarse like horse hair and she’s putting off a bad odor. I’m still waiting for her vet to call me back about this and in the meantime can you give any opinions on this. I’m not total agreeing with her vet with waiting to see if it gets bigger, since I think it’s already too big to do no tests on. Any answers or opinions you can provide are greatly appreciated. Thank you
December 21, 2015 at 2:15 am
Hi
My dog has a lump on his paw inbetween his pads very similar to your image of pipers paw. We took him to the vet a week ago (the very day we discovered it due to him licking it a lot) and the vet said that they didn’t know what had caused it but gave us antibiotics and anti-inflammatorys. It hasn’t changed in appearance but does seem to be wearing a bit (a mix of watery blood and a yellow substance)
Do you think it’s worth going back to the vet or seeing another vetfor a second opinion?
Any advice gratefully received
Nicola
January 18, 2016 at 2:28 pm
So, my cat is pregnant. She is still young, under a year. Not only am I worried about her pregnancy, I’ve noticed a marble shaped lump on her lower chest on the left. It’s behind one of her nipples and its not causing her pain. I’m not only worried about her lump, but now also worried about how it may affect her pregnancy. Aside from taking her to the vet, does anyone know or can help me figure out what’s going on or if I should worry?
February 23, 2016 at 12:28 am
Hello I have a female cat she is around 12 years old possibly a bit older, I am unsure because I rescued her from a couple that did not take good care of her at all. When I first got her she was very skinny and malnourished. Other than being low in weight she looked overall healthy. I took her in to the vet and she had a pretty good clean bill of health. My vet put her on a strict regiment of food to get some weight on her plus the much needed vitamins and minerals. I’ve had her for over a year now and about a month ago I noticed a very small lump on her abdomen it felt a bit hard. It didn’t seem to bother her but I still took her in to be checked out. We had to take her to a new vet since mine has moved out of state unfortunately. This vet would not take a sample, and it wasn’t because it was too small to get anything out. He said that it was absolutely no reason to worry and not cancerous. Well now it has tripled in size, she is constantly licking it and no longer has hair on the mass and now smells God awful. I know there is a infection and have taken steps to keep it clean and try to keep her from licking it any further. When I try to pick her up I have to be very careful because the site seems very tender. She’s still eating and drinking normally and still playing like she’s a young kitten. I tried calling to my vet and all he told me to do was just to make sure that the area stays clean and to keep it bandaged up. I just don’t understand why he has not taken any steps to remove it, or take any tests to find out exactly what it is. Also since there is an infection why hasn’t he prescribed her any antibiotics? Please help I can send pictures as well I am very worried about her and she has already had a very tough life I want to make sure to give her the best life possible! She is part of my family and I love her very dearly! Thank you so much in advance.
March 13, 2016 at 11:30 pm
Lumps on dogs are complex! My 12 year old collie mix had a lump on her back leg. The vet basically said they could investigate further, but that I probably didn’t want to know what it is, I.e., very expensive. It didn’t do anything for a year, or more. Her health started to decline with gastric problems and incontinence. Then one day she suddenly smelled like she rolled in something. A few days later I was brushing her and getting her ready for a bath and I discovered the lump had grown and ultcerated. I took her to the emergency clinic and the vet said it was most likely cancer and although it could be treated it would most likely kill her within the year if not months or weeks. With tremendous sadness I put her down. Stupid lumps.
March 13, 2016 at 11:33 pm
I should add that the vet said tumors can grow very quickly. I wonder now how fast quickly is. I feel bad that I didn’t catch her lump growing sooner, although there wasn’t much I could do for it, I suppose. But stil.
April 3, 2016 at 10:26 pm
Hi I found lump on my dog front left near claw . I am waiting to here from vet with results my dog Is 11 years old ..
July 28, 2016 at 11:33 am
Hi, My eight year old basset hound had a bump show up suddenly on her front left paw. At first appearance thought was an infected hair or pore because it look like a pimple. It had a black dot on top. The next day she had chewed the skin off and it was a large red lump. Took her to my vet and he said he needed to remove it but because it’s so large he was worried he would be able to close the wound back up. Sent us home with antibiotic and rimadyl. After we finished the meds it had shrunk. My question is should we go ahead and remove? Or wait and see if it gets better on it’s own? If it where a malignant tumor would it have shrunk with just antibiotic? It makes me think maybe it was just an infection.
April 28, 2016 at 1:23 pm
My Chihuahua has a lump on the side of his neck..I took him to the Dr. and all he did was give him a shot of antibiotics which is to last 14 days…the lump is still there after two days..
now there is another on the other side. ..I think this Dr was in a hurry …and I am scared that something is really wrong..love my dog…could these lumps come from an ear infection..
I am taking him back to a Dr in the Am…
.
May 25, 2016 at 3:22 pm
Very informative article! I looked this up because I found a lump on my 4 year old golden back in January. It’s the size of a pea, movable but sometimes it shrinks to half a pea size. Then it gets back to its normal size. Vet checked it and wasn’t concerned. But, reading on the Internet, Mast Cell Tumors come up. What do you think dr?
November 19, 2016 at 8:07 am
Heya i was washing my dog whwn i saw a lump up on the side of her head she 8 years old and full of life
November 20, 2016 at 7:09 pm
I’m not cruel to my cat. I recently found a hard little bump on my cat when I was petting him. I took my cat to the vet. She really didn’t do anything about it, all she did was feel it and told me to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t get any bigger.My cats lump feels like a hard lil bb.! It’s not on the skin cause when you lift the skin just a lil it’s on the bone of his back.! So what do I do? Do I go to another vet or keep an eye on it like she says? I dont want my cat to ever be in pain like this. These pics are really disturbing and I don’t want my cat to have any of these huge masses. If my cat dies, it’s not me it’s on the vet.! I did my part by taken my cat to the vet n’ getting the lump checked out.! It be on her.! I guess I’m just going to have to keep an eye on the lump. But I don’t want to scare him by excessive checking the lump.!I don’t want him to develop nerve problems from my worrying.!
February 6, 2017 at 10:12 am
Our 9 month old pit bull suddenly developed a big oblong lump that’s hard and hot….it doesn’t seem to bother her…she’s also in her 3rd week of heat and the lump is on her lower belly around her nipple and near her vagina….is it related to her heat cycle all my females have always been spayed so we never have dealt with a heat cycle ….help we r a little freaked out
June 20, 2017 at 3:09 am
Hello, I was wondering which state it is that you work in Reyna? I take in strays normally for a short period of time until I can find them homes. A few we have kept over the years. We just loved them and the kids were super attatched to these couple. Now I know I’m going to be bashed from other commenters, but I wondering if you know of or can help with directing me to any kind of help with the bill to have our dog LaLa seen by a vet. We are maxed out on our care credit for or dogs right now and LaLa developed a lump in her throats area. . It’s gone down in size some over the last 2 days but for some reason it feels like the back of her neck has gotten extreamly hard. I am not sure if I call it a lump in the back, and the one on her throats is still there just less of a hard ball and isn’t making it to where she can’t breathe. I have her Benadryl and 5mg of prednisone. But I am still Concerned and no bet will see her without the $100 visit on top of whatever care she need once in the door. We normally have means to just go and get our dogs fixed up but right now things are just tight. We are making $2,600 less a month then we were making the prior 3 years and just can’t pull the $ off right now. Any help
With an organization that will help
Would be greatly appreciated. I took in a stray that was hit by a truck 2 days after I took him in. I don’t take them to the pound and leave them anymore. I took a small lil old dog to our local pound and she growled at them(found her on a Saturday and the pound is close at noon sat and doesn’t re open u til Tuesday. The lady that took a pic of her and had me fill out the papers as to where I found her when all that info, was nice but this little lady growled at her(she never did that once while we had her in those 2 1/2 days) she said that she needed to go to D pod as well as the one that was left in the Drop off spot for animals that are turned in when there is non business hours. I asked what that met and she said that it’s where they jkeep
The aggressive strays and if they don’t warm up to an employee within 3 days, they euithinize them. I didn’t find this fair and told her I would house the dog until it’s owner called and then I would return her to them. It’s became what we do if we go in there and a furry friend does this. Anyways. Minimus got out of the yard and got hit by truck and we had to max out our care credit to have his eye removed and a few minor things that happened when he was hit. I just don’t have the $ right now. Please help
If possible
July 17, 2017 at 9:31 am
My dog had best fits the description of an epidermal cyst. However, one day it doubled in size and started oozing blood and puss. I couldnt afford emergency care so I put “blue lotion” on it after clipping the hair back and washing and disinfecting with peroxide. Wrapped it and 24 hours later unwrapped to find two holes. When I examined the area yellowish cottage cheese texture substance was coming out. So i squeezed and got to the point only blood was coming out. Washed and disinfected with peroxide, applied more “blue lotion” and am currently applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Its oozing blood. I am taking her to the vet in the morning. What do you think is going on? I appreciate your time and opinion.
October 1, 2017 at 3:31 pm
HI there my dog hasn’t a perineal adenoma the vet insisted it was common on dogs who are fixed a little late (which he was since I adopted him from shelter and he was believed to be 2). He also believes the tumor is benign, should I request a biopsy either way? Also he says I don’t need the pain killers or blood work because he is young enough just the surgery and anesthesia. I would love to hear your thoughts, the ou is still young around 3. Thank you. Keyla
December 31, 2017 at 6:13 pm
Hi my 15yr old golden retriever has a huge supposed lipoma, same as Monty’s the Border Collie, in your photos), situated on left rib cage. Thin needle aspiration done not typical of a lipoma, had bloody pink extraction. Vet said gave idea of hematoma. She is limping terribly and body almost pulling skew. The front leg is like tapping an shes very sensitive to touch. She sometimes reminded me of those goats that just fall down when you touch them, was like that from young age.
Dont know what to do. She is sleeping most of the day, still has good bladder control,except sometimes loose tumny, very sensitive stomach from young, and even sometines try to run 3 x around the car, when I get home, limping and all.
Will limping stop if I do operation?
Will she be able to handle general anaestetics? I called a specialist, they quoted me 14000ZAR,,,,should i rather try ordinary vet at 4000ZAR? It start a a gelyish horisontal lump and vet said nothing to worry about in Sept 2016, grew bigger and lately even bigger after needle aspirarion, I guess, and extration of a bit if fluid. Very stiff but still loose but the skin can’t stretch anymore.
Should I go the safe way in getting a Biopsy done first to ensure markers, also bloodwork to check her organs before operation?
I can se she tries her best to stay balanced but it is becoming more dufficult. She still tries to pick up a gait, in order to rectify the limping.
Kindly advise, I am torn between not knowing if she’s gonna be relieved from limping and still live another year or more with some arthritis meds,…….or to make the final decision.
She is the last of my goldy doggies left(used to be a breeder), I have lost her Partner in March after he survived for 6 months after a radical orchidectomy, due to cancer.
I did not breed with her and she was spayed at at about 5.
Your urgent answer will be appreciated as I need to make a decision before going back to work on 8 Jan.
Also should she be put on a drip prior to operation to compensate for dehydration?
Thank you
Regards
Patricia
January 6, 2018 at 12:12 pm
My 5 lb chi has a cancerous sarcoma on his ribcage. It is solid and tight with fluid. Had it asperated twice but it refilled in a matter of hours. He is 15 with heart murmur. Vet took ultrasound and said the cancer was into his ribcage and he would have to have his whole side (ribs) reconstructed and most likely wouldnt survive. Is there anything else that can be done just to drain the fluid and keep it down for his immediate comfort?
November 15, 2018 at 3:10 pm
my dog has a small lumb on his private part .. at the base of his penis .. his a chow chow and he has several skin problems already so I would like to know if this is dangerous and should I take him to the vet ? .. it’s a small whitish little bumb under his skin
August 5, 2022 at 10:02 pm
I got a German spitz and he had a big fatty tissue that got as big as a grapefruit fruit it busted they where 3 holes and the big hole they was a chore came out look like a chicken gizzard he had to have alot of fluids but he doing better now its only been 2 weeks since this has happen I let you know the outcome
June 6, 2023 at 7:20 pm
Well, When you get a pet, Most people Don’t know if they live long enough that this can even happen, I’m a pet owner and my husband is of our 13 year old dog, named Max, he was a rescue dog right here where we live in our apartment complex, my husband saved him out of 8 puppies, in a sewage drain and bless Max he was the runt! To look at him today, YOU’D NEVER SAY THAT ! HE’S PART , JACK RUSSELL AND COLLIE, AND HIS MOTHER WAS WILD, SO HE’S A GOOD DOD, AND HAS HAD ONE OF THESE ALREADY REMOVED BY OUR VET, MRS. COOK OF MOULTON ALABAMA, THEIR COMMON IN OLDER DOG’S, SO DON’T GET ON HERE JUDGING ANYONE, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE MONEY DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE , YOU HAVE ANYMORE LOVE FOR YOUR PET THAN ANYBODY ELSE DOES, he has another one now under his leg and we’re taking him to our vet, this very morning, so to anyone who is on this blog reading this, WE ARE GOOD PET PARENTS AND WE HAVE NO EXTRA MONEY TO DO THIS WITH, BUT IF YOU ARE A PET PARENT, IN THIS DAY AND AGE, AND ARE NOT RICH, KEEP ON KEEPING ON, BECAUSE YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TO YOUR PET, AND THEY DON’T JUDGE YOU BY MONEY, THEY LOVE THRU YOU AND GOD! WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY! KUDOS TO THE AVERAGE PET PARENT! KEEP ON LOVING THEM, BECAUSE THAT IS ALL THEY NEED ! AND GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST!
March 12, 2024 at 7:16 am
I have a dog with a huge lump about tennis ball size ball under his neck he eats weeds and sticks so we thought maybe that but now he has a golf ball size lump on the top back of his neck too we can’t afford a vet and there are no “free ” community vets in my area he’s had tumors on his weener twice in the past but they were small he loves to son baith canti just pop the lumps I don’t no what else to do? I’ll try to send pics if itspossible