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My dog has a suspicious lump. Could it be cancer? What's next?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Female | spayed | 6 years old | 48 lbs

Is this a cancer lump ?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 24th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. Just from looking at the photo I am unable to definitively say if this is a cancerous tumor or not. It does look abnormal and suspicious of a cancerous mass but am unable to say for sure without further testing. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine this and perform some additional testing to help determine what this could be. The vet can insert a small needle into the mass and look at the cells under a microscope to help better determine what it could be. This test is known as a fine needle aspirate test. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 3rd, 2020

    Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Zeus. This looks like a growth, possibly benign. 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 its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 26th, 2022

    Thank you for the picture of O'Neill's lump. Unfortunately I cannot say for certain if this lump is cancerous or not without doing specific tests on it; while some lumps do have an appearance to them that can indicate malignancy, it cannot be confirmed visually alone. From the picture, I'm concerned about that divot in the middle of it, but its appearance may not signify malignancy. It is something that needs to be checked out by a vet to be safe, and I would give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 12th, 2020

    This could be a benign growth. 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 its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give Jet's vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

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