Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My dog has a growing, strawberry-like lump on his leg. What is it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 60 lbs

My year old pit (mix) has a lump on his leg.. it looks and feels like a strawberry and seems to be getting a little bigger.. what could it be?

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 7th, 2017

Thank you for providing a picture of Diesel's lump! It looks like it could be a histocytoma, which is a benign tumor, but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. Histocytomas typically resolve on their own in a few months, but given that it seems to be getting bigger, I would recommend having him seen by a vet on Monday for it. The vet can do a fine needle aspirate to confirm if it is a histiocytoma or not. 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. If it is a histiocytoma, the vet may want to wait to see if it resolves, or can discuss removing it surgically. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Just noticed my dogs leg has a lump on it! Any ideas to what it is and if I need to get him into the vet?
That is a large, lobulated lump (no just one defined lump) in a location that would generally never have something like a swollen lymph nodes. I recommend making an appointment with your vet for a fine needle aspirate (where they aspirate cells from the mass and put them on a slide to be sent out for review) to determine if it is an abscess or a tumor/cancer of some sort. Best wishes for Diesel!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 5 year-old standard poodle has a lump (about 1 cm) on his leg. Doesn't seem to hurt but he licks it sometimes. I was asking if it was a Histiocytoma, It appears to be only skin deep as I can move the skin around it and the lump moves. No discha
Thank you for your question. Histiocytomas most often are red ulcerated lesions, which this does not appear to be. They also most often appear in animals 2 years of age and younger. You can read more about the growths at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1676. I would recommend having your vet take a look at the growth. They may recommend what is called a fine needle aspirate, which involves sticking a small needle into the growth to collect cells (can usually be done awake with minimal discomfort) to help identify the type of growth, which helps us determine if it should be removed or just monitored.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I just noticed this on my dogs ankle when she was licking herself. I'm not sure how long she has had it, & there are no symptoms showing of illness. I thought she was bleeding but she's not. I cleaned the surface & she showed no sign of pain. What is
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Diamond. She appears to have a mass that has grown on her leg. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian to have it evaluated. She will need a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate to determine if the mass is cancerous or not. The veterinarian will use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. There is a benign growth known as a histiocytoma that is more common in young dogs. There is also an aggressive cancerous mass known as a mast cell tumor that can have the same outward appearance. If it is cancerous, the mass will be difficult to remove given its location. In the meantime, do not allow her to lick the mass. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi! This is a growth on my dogs leg; it has grown from about the size of an acorn to the size of a pretty big walnut. The texture is very lumpy, almost looks like grains of rice clumped together or a cluster of oblong shaped bumps in a cluster. It do
Without a physical exam or diagnostics, it is difficult to determine if this is something to worry over. Ideally, a fine needle aspirate or biopsy should be done to collect samples for pathology. This may provide a diagnosis. X-rays of the limb may be recommended to rule out bony involvement. Since you state it is growing, it should be removed before it becomes too large. As it is, that is a difficult area to close after a mass removal.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My great dane, Luke, is 6 months old and he stays outside and I've noticed a red boil like bubble on his leg. What could this be?
This is a lump that appears to be only located in the skin. These tend to be benign growths, such as a wart or sebaceous adenoma (basically a big zit). Sometimes these can be a skin tumor such as a mast cell tumor, but in a dog that young, it's not that likely. The best way to find out is to have your veterinarian take a sample and analyze it either in-house or at the laboratory. It does not appear infected, so you don't need to rush in to get this done. In-fact, many of these lumps will go away on their own. If it appears like it's growing or is irritating, then it's best to take Luke in to the vet to get it dealt with. If you notice it starts to shrink in a couple of weeks, then it will likely continue to shrink and go away.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, this lump had appeared almost overnight on my dogs leg. Any idea what it might be and if it's dangerous?
Many lumps present similarly (ie: look the same grossly) so it is hard to say what any lump is just by looking at it. That being said, it appears to be a histiocytoma at first glance but those are normally seen in much younger dogs. The other option that comes to mind right away is mast cell tumor. Of course there are many types of tumors/masses that dogs can get - those are not the only two types. I would suggest you get Dory to your vet to have that lump examined. Your vet may need to test it (fine needle aspirate) to determine what kind it is. I don't think it is an emergency but I try to get her in for an exam in the next few days. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Ive found a lump on my dogs back leg like a ball its red and she seems abit uncomfortable me touching it what cud this be?
Hello, this looks like a histiocytoma, a benign tumor. Fairly common in younger dogs, it usually spontaneously regresses without treatment. Have your veterinarian take a look to make sure that it is not anything else. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My bloodhound has a medium size bump on his leg. He’s not allergic to anything and is still a playful puppy. We don’t know what it is
This may be an abscess, a cyst or a tumor. You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
This is on my 16 month old Golden Retrievers back right leg, how concerned should I be as the nearest bet is 2 hours away? Is it an ingrown hair or a bite of some sort or something else? It is about the size of a large pea. It doesn't seem to be both
Thank you for submitting the pictures of Chewie's leg. It appears like he has a mass growing on it. I do recommend he sees his veterinarian to have it evaluated. Typically a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate is performed. Cells are collected and the veterinarian looks at them under the microscope. The goal is to determine if the mass is potentially cancerous or not. There are two common skin masses that can look like Chewie's. One is a cancerous mass known as a mast cell tumor. This can be an aggressive form of skin cancer and would need to be surgically removed. The other is a benign skin growth known as a histiocytoma. This mass doesn't usually cause problems and can regress on its own over 2-3 months. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello, I noticed my cattle dog had this sore on her hind leg today. It doesn't seem to bother her shes not limping or showing any signs of discomfort. I can touch it and it doesn't seem to bother her
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Supplies Dog Toys Dog Food Dog Health & Wellness Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Prescription Dog Insulin & Diabetes Medication Dog Blood Pressure Medication Antifungal Medication for Dogs At-Home Dog Vaccines Dog Thyroid Medication & Hormone Care DOG by Dr Lisa Dermalone Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Lantus Prescription Dog Insulin & Diabetes Medication Lantus Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Dermalone Antifungal Medication for Dogs Prednisone Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Lantus Solostar Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Lantus Solostar Prescription Dog Insulin & Diabetes Medication Prednisone Dog Pain Relief & Arthritis Meds Deramaxx Dog Pain Relief & Arthritis Meds
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored