My 11-year-old dog scratched a mole. Is this skin mass serious?

Question

I have a concern about my 11 year old dog. For the past 2 or 3 years my dog apparently has a mole that a vet told me he has and my dog must have scratched it. So I treated it with an antibiotic. I am worried it's more than a mole. Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Anytime a new mass is noticed, I always recommend having it evaluated to see what it is and if anything needs to be done about it. Unfortunately, we often can't tell anything about a mass by just looking at it. Your vet can perform a simple test called a fine needle aspirate where they use a small needle to collect some cells from the mass, then look at them under the microscope. They may even need to send the cells to the lab for a pathologist to examine them, so we know what the mass is. If it is benign, you might not need to do anything about the mass at all, but if they see cells that worry them, they might recommend removing the mass. Since Qbert has scratched the mass, I think it is certainly worth having your veterinarian examine it again and evaluate a sample to make sure that it is benign. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My 11-year-old dog scratched a mole. Is this skin mass serious?

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