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My senior dog has skin lumps. Are they common? Do they need removal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | unneutered | 10 years and 10 months old | 0 lbs

My yorkie of 10 years..has developed some lumps on his skin .one on inside of rear leg one the size of a pea behind hos ear that has been there 6 months and a new one on the front of his head . My vet says its not a problem but she could remove it if i want .. Question is ...does it need removing ...is it an age thing . Or is my vet looking for business Also the one behind his ear is like a sack which could have cotton tied around to cit off blood supply .would this be a safe option .

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 22nd, 2017

These lumps appear to be either a wart, or benign cyst, but there is no way to tell for sure unless a sample is taken and sent to the lab. They do tend to get these more often as they get older. These can rub against things and break open, so removal is considered to prevent this and as a way to definitively diagnose the type of mass. I do not suspect that the vet has given any unethical advice in order to boost revenue (this would be a highly irregular and unlikely thing for a vet to do); and I would likely give the same advice in this situation. Tying a string around the lump is not a safe option. This can cause a great deal of pain and lead to severe infections. Only surgical removal by a professional is advised for these. I hope that helps and all is well with Brino.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. This appears to be a benign mass on the skin that typically occurs in older animals. There are a couple of options to address this. The first is to actually have the mass completely removed. If he is due for a dental cleaning then this could be removed at the same time. If you do not wish to go through with this first option then the other option would be to try and freeze the mass off. Your vet may not offer this as an option but if they do, it may or may not work. Most of the time these are benign and if rather monitor the mass for now that is ok. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have.

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