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My 13-year-old Rottweiler has a fast-growing head lump. Is it serious?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Male | unneutered | 13 years and 2 months old | 90 lbs

My Rottweiler who is 13has developed a hard lump on his head which seems to be growing quickly. Doesn't seem to be bothering him?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on March 19th, 2017

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Dude's lump could be due to a number of causes, including: benign or malignant masses, abscess, cyst, granuloma, etc. A vet should examine Dude and will be able to perform a fine needle aspirate of the lump. This is achieved by drawing some cells from the lump with a needle and examining the cells microscopically. This procedure is relatively pain free and will provide a lot of important information as to the course of treatment. Since the lump is growing rapidly, take Dude to your vet in the next few days.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Unfortunately this lump on Dude could be a malignant tumor, and it is concerning that it's growing quickly. It could also be a cyst or a benign tumor. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Dude seen by a vet first thing in the morning to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated if needed.

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