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

My 11-Year-Old Dog Scratched a Mole. Is This Skin Mass Serious?

My dog has a mole under her chin that has been there for a while now. However, when I was scratching under her neck I noticed that if you put some pressure on it, you can feel the mole under her skin and it feels firm. She has three little moles that

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! These can definitely feel firm as they usually do. These could be benign or malignant growths. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Nani has two black mole/scars on her body, one under her arm which is about an inch wide and another on her groin. The first appeared from scratching too hard and was red, but then over a months time, it became this mole-like scar. The other mole is

Hi there and thank you for your post! Judging from the pictures and your description, these skin lesions are likely benign but it would be difficult to rule out if they are cancerous or not based on pictures and a description unfortunately. If the skin was damaged sometimes Scar Tissue can come back as a discolored portion of the skin. So what you may be seeing is scar tissue that is hyperpigmentation. As with any Mass, I typically recommend further testing to help determine what the mask could be. A simple test called a fine needle aspirate can be performed. This test is when the veterinarian inserts a small needle into the mass to obtain cells. These cells are then assessed under a microscope to help better determine what the mass could be. So if you would like to know more what these masses could be, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine them and have a fine needle aspirate done. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me if you h

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My 13yr old Lhasa apso has 2 moles that have popped up recently and I am hoping it is just with old age and they are fine

I, too, hope they are just moles, but it is just like a spot that pops up on a human - it is ALWAYS best to have them checked out by a doctor. Your vet can examine these new lumps, and may collect a small sample of cells to be examined under a microscope for diagnosis. If there are any signs that the cells may be cancerous, then your vet will likely recommend that they be removed and sent in for official diagnosis.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Hello, my dog Max had a mole-like growth near the top of his foot. It constantly changes where it is bleeding/ crusty/ or black-like (started in Feb). He was supposed to have a biopsy but the vet said they couldn't b/c "there was nothing to remove".

Hello! I certainly understand your concern and agree it is a bit worrisome that the mass keeps changing. I think getting the new mass and the old one checked would be a good idea. The masses certainly look small so it might be hard to get a sample without completely removing the masses. There are two ways to test these masses.: A fine needle aspirate is less invasive but may be really hard for very small masses. For this procedure a small needle is inserted in the mass and cells are collected. Pets can be awake and they don’t need stitches. This procedure will generally yield an answer but sometimes they can’t collect enough cells. A biopsy involves removing the entire mass by cutting it away from the skin. This will likely give you a firm answer as to what it is. For this procedure, most pets will need at least a mild sedation and 1 to 2 stitches. Make an appointment to have Max examined and discuss these options with your veterinarian to figure out which one is the best route

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

my dog has about four moles that are new I thought she had a tick on her head, what could this be?

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! These could be benign or malignant growths. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I know it’s a mole but will I av to have it removed it was a subasusius cyst first but then a mole came thank u

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have your pup evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My Kaiya is now a bit in pain after we tried helping her scratching her itches she's had for a couple of days now. We found this lumb. Infection?

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be an abscess. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My dog 13 year old dog has had a small growth since I've found him 3 years ago. It's grown a little since then, but now it looks like it might be infected. The growth is black and oddly over the course of those three years, it appears that another gr

Thank you for using Boop by Petco! A mass on the skin is never "normal," but it is not uncommon to see skin masses appear as patient's age. It is virtually impossible to be able to distinguish a benign versus a malignant (cancerous) growth based on appearance alone, which is why we typically rely on biopsies or fine needle aspirates for diagnosis. Fine needle aspirates are less invasive and do not require sedation/anesthesia, but only give us a small picture of the mass since we are only able to sample the cells present within the needle used. Removal of a mass with submission for histopathology (biopsy) is always preferred and recommended for masses that change in size or shape. If the mass on Bradley's leg is changing, continually infected, or is irritating/painful for him, it would be best to have the mass removed and submitted for histopathology. Even if the mass is benign, it is serving as a source of irritation/infection for him, and could potentially become malignant in th

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My dog has a strange bump on her face that doesn't seem to be getting better. Looking online for advice. I have a really close up photo of it. We can't see our vet until Monday.

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 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. You didn't mention how old Mia is, but we commonly see benign tumors in young dogs, so I wouldn't worry about anything right now. Just wait to see what your vet finds on Monday. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My dog has a lump on her side grey round the edge pink in the middle one is now appearing on her back leg

The picture you posted was a little blurry, so it was difficult to evaluate, but in general we usually 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. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

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

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Related Answers from Veterinarians

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

Most Helpful Answer

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Related Questions

My dog has a mole under her chin that has been there for a while now. However, when I was scratching under her neck I noticed that if you put some pressure on it, you can feel the mole under her skin and it feels firm. She has three little moles that

Nani has two black mole/scars on her body, one under her arm which is about an inch wide and another on her groin. The first appeared from scratching too hard and was red, but then over a months time, it became this mole-like scar. The other mole is

My 13yr old Lhasa apso has 2 moles that have popped up recently and I am hoping it is just with old age and they are fine

Hello, my dog Max had a mole-like growth near the top of his foot. It constantly changes where it is bleeding/ crusty/ or black-like (started in Feb). He was supposed to have a biopsy but the vet said they couldn't b/c "there was nothing to remove".

my dog has about four moles that are new I thought she had a tick on her head, what could this be?

I know it’s a mole but will I av to have it removed it was a subasusius cyst first but then a mole came thank u

My Kaiya is now a bit in pain after we tried helping her scratching her itches she's had for a couple of days now. We found this lumb. Infection?

My dog 13 year old dog has had a small growth since I've found him 3 years ago. It's grown a little since then, but now it looks like it might be infected. The growth is black and oddly over the course of those three years, it appears that another gr

My dog has a strange bump on her face that doesn't seem to be getting better. Looking online for advice. I have a really close up photo of it. We can't see our vet until Monday.

My dog has a lump on her side grey round the edge pink in the middle one is now appearing on her back leg

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