My dog has a fluid-filled lump on his rib cage. What is it?

Question

We have a dog that has a palm-sized liquid-filled bump on his lower rib cage. Our vet drained some clear/reddish liquid from it and said that it may have been caused by a small injury to the skin, and the remaining liquid should be absorbed back into the body. What would this be called? Pet's info: Dog | Blue Heeler | Male | neutered | 62 lbs

Daniel Fonza, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If there was a traumatic injury that caused a pocket to form under the skin, this would create a dead space. Consequently when there is dead space under skin the body will try to fill this dead space in and fluid will accumulate in the pocket as a result. This is what we call a seroma. Many times after a single drainage by the vet this usually resolves. Sometimes the seroma needs to be drained multiple times. Seromas do not harm the animal in any way. Sometimes applying cold packing and warm packs to the area will help reduce inflammation and help the seroma resolve. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have I am also available via consultation if needed

My dog has a fluid-filled lump on his rib cage. What is it?

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