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My 12-year-old dog has a soft, painless eye lump. Could it be cancer?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Staffordshire Terrier | Male | unneutered | 12 years and 3 months old | 60 lbs

12 YR old American Stafford Terrier Pitbull 50-60lbs. Had a cancerous tumor removed from right thigh about 2 years ago, fine since. Very energetic and playful. Past maybe 6 months noticed a lump size of a quarter maybe under the right eye, soft to touch and moves slightly. Has not increased in size or decreased. Definitely no sign of pain. Any idea of what this might be?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on January 26th, 2017

Without an exam or diagnostics, it is near impossible to say. It could be anything from local inflammation/infection to a benign or malignant mass. Given Ruckess' history, an exam with your veterinarian or veterinary oncologist would be recommended. A fine needle aspirate can be done to collect a sample for pathology.

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 28th, 2019

    It could be an insect bite, or it might be a skin mass. Some skin growths could bleed but would be benign. It would be unusual for a young dog to develop a malignant skin mass but not completely impossible. I'd recommend having your vet examine the lump to determine what it is and whether or not sampling it or removing it might be recommended.

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