Why is my senior dog panting, limping, and has a large growth?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
We have a 13 year old Husky/Heeler Mix. He has a huge bump on his right side about where his shoulders are, he has had this about 5 months, and he is having more and more trouble walking, now he has started breathing fast and panting at certain times like he is having difficulty breathing. Nothing he does or we do causes him to start panting. It's almost like what he does when he rides in a car.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 7th, 2017
Poor guy! In a senior dog, I would be very concerned that his huge bump is a malignant tumor that has now spread to his lungs causing his problems with breathing. Cancer can also affect his walking. I would have him seen by a vet right away. This bump needs to be diagnosed with a fine needle aspirate to see if he does have a malignant tumor, and x-rays need to be done of his chest to see his heart and lungs. Once the cause of this bump and difficulty breathing and walking is diagnosed, the vet can discuss if there are any treatment options for him.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on March 28th, 2018
I don't see any photos attached to this post so I am not able to see the lump. If the lump is getting bigger than you should have him examined by a vet to determine the cause. Your vet can do a needle aspirate to help diagnose and then your vet can recommend a treatment plan. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or your vet may want to remove the lump.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is a westhighland terrier she is 14 years old she has a big lump under her body where her belly is she is breathing heavy and coughing too what is wrong ?
Without a photo of thee lump it is hard for me to assess the condition. This may be a mammary tumor. You should have it examined by your veterinarian. Another possibility would be an abscess. Abscesses can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced. Your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning. Breathing heavily and coughing could be from a tumor metastatis in the lungs, or, more likely since your dog is an old dog, a congestive heart condition where the heart is not able to pump effectively anymore and therefore lung edema occurs. This makes breathing difficult and causes coughing, especially at night when she rests. Your vet can examine the heart as well when looking at the mass.Please schedule an appointment with your veterinarian soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 11 year old lab/husky has been panting excessively, whining, and demanding constant attention (he climbs into your lab or shoved you around until you acknowledge him). He wants to stay outside 24/7 even in the pouring rain. He was shaking as well.
Sounds like Kaden has a pretty significant anxiety disorder. I suggest you speak to your vet about what treatments are available. Often times older dogs will change and start exhibiting behavior like this when their eyesight and/or hearing starts to get poor. That may be the problem. I don't know. You can refer this article for some options to help anxiety but it seems like the prescription medications work best. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-natural-treatments-for-dog-anxiety/ ) The bump on the leg is hard to see but it looks like it may be a lick granuloma. He could be licking that area because the underlying bone is hurting him or it could be from the anxiety. ( https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/acral-lick-dermatitis/ )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is 12. At beginning of March he started with a small lump, photo on right. In last fortnight it has got bigger, photo on left. He is displaying no other symptoms, he does limp, he’s not constantly licking at at it etc.
I don't see any photos attached to this post so I am not able to see the lump. If the lump is getting bigger than you should have him examined by a vet to determine the cause. Your vet can do a needle aspirate to help diagnose and then your vet can recommend a treatment plan. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or your vet may want to remove the lump.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 12 year old Springer is constantly panting, leading to food dish but has been fed, paces, looks into distance but not directly at something, bumps into things daily, and then will fall asleep at night. Please help
I recommend to have Buster examined by the veterinarian. Changes in behavior like this could indicate dementia, hypothyroidism or cushings disease. The doctor will ask you many questions and Buster will need some blood tests. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 12 year old lab mix has these hard nodules forming on her. One on her back towards her tail, and now more on her chest. About the size of a quarter and quarter inch thick. I'm scared if I bring her into a vet they will say cancer since she is an o
I know it can be scary when thinking about possible cancerous masses in your pet. But really the only way to know for sure is to have these masses tested through your vet. They can be cancerous masses, inflammatory reactions or benign tumors (non-cancerous). The heavy breathing that Allie is doing does concern me a bit. This can either be a sign of pain or an underlying lung or heart disease. So a vet visit although no desired, is probably the bext best thing to do for Allie in figuring out what's going on with both concerns. Best of luck getting some answers and take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my dog has a swollen bump on his paw between the pads...it is leaking fluid now...he is eating and does not limp when he walks...he is 14...in 1 month it has doubled in size
Thank you for using Boop by Petco! It is definitely concerning that the lump has increased in size so quickly, as older dogs are typically more likely to develop cancers. The lump can also be an infection or cyst. I recommend having this seen by a vet as soon as possible - they can take a small sample from the growth to determine exactly what it is and recommend the appropriate treatment. I hope all is well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my golden retriever (14 yrs old) has had a lump at his neck area for a while, yesterday the whole neck became very hard and he couldn't breathe properly and couldn't walk. His jaw area (right hand side) also is swelling. We went to a vet nearby who d
How does a vet have no equipment to examine the dog? If that vet did not know what is going after looking at the dog I'm not sure how much I can tell you over the internet without looking at the dog. The most I can tell you is that at 14 years old this is likely cancer and you are not going to be able to fix it. I suggest you take him to another vet that does have equipment so you can try to get a diagnosis. A biopsy of the tumors are needed. If it is cancer it may have spread to his lungs and that is why is not able to breathe well. If you cannot afford to do all the testing to figure out what is happening then you may need to make the decision to euthanize him as it sounds like he is suffering and in pain. Please take him to another vet to get this sorted out.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My miniature schnauzer/ brusselngriffin mix is 11 yrs old. Recently she had a small marble sized lump on her abdomen. After she was groomed i have now counted roughly 17 hard nodules all over her body. 2 very large ones on her trunk. Her temp axilla
i am afraid these could be benign or malignant tumors. Since Nealy is an older dog, this is not uncommon. Lipomas (fatty tumors, usually benign, they can actually be hard) or mast cell tumors come to mind when looking at your photos. It could also be a very extreme allergic reaction to possibly a shampoo at the groomers. 1) do not panic 2) make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam. He will likely want to take a so-called FNA (Fine Needle Biopsy) where he takes a small amount of tissue through an injection needle, puts this on a glass plate and looks at it under the microscope. This will give your vet an idea what he is dealing with. He may also send this material to a lab to be examined. Once you and dyour veterinarian know what type of mass you are dealing with , you can discuss treatment plans.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Teddy has been licking his paws a lot, seems disoriented and whines a lot. He acts happy when he comes back inside from potting but then will stand by our bedroom door and whine when we are in the same room and calling his name. Is he going blind or
This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. From the picture you uploaded I can say the lump looks like a lipoma, which is usually not painful at all. Lump needs to be tested anyway. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Is something wrong here? My dog normally has a wilder bump there but it seems to have gotten bigger.
That is concerning, and in a dog Happy's age, that can be caused by something serious like a malignant tumor. 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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