My dog has a big, fluid-filled, painless armpit lump. What is it?

Question

My dog has a very large, softball sized lump in her armpit. It seems to be fluid filled. It is not giving her pain. What is this? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 80 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

This lump could be a cyst or an abscess. I recommend taking Roxy into the vet tomorrow for an exam. The vet can do a physical exam, and can do a fine needle aspirate on the lump. 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 cyst, it will need to be drained, and it may need to be removed in order to keep it from returning. An abscess will require it to be drained and flushed sterilely, and she would need antibiotics to treat the infection.

My dog has a big, fluid-filled, painless armpit lump. What is it?

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