What is this red growth on my Golden Retriever's lip? I'm worried.

Question

2+ weeks ago, we noticed a red growth on our golden retriever Finn's lip. It looked like it had grown so we took him to get it checked out today. The Vet identified it as a mass so we scheduled Finn for surgery / biopsy next Tuesday. I know the biopsy is required, but in the meantime, any idea what it could be? I am so worried. Finn will be 2 yrs old next week. He is not irritated by the mass and is still his energetic self. When he was groomed last week, the technician did say the mass bled. Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Male | neutered | 1 year and 11 months old | 71 lbs

Penelope Graben, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello there, You're absolutely doing the right thing by Finn for getting the mass biopsied, and it sounds like your vet's plan is perfect. Judging from the picture, there are two main types of masses that can appear similar to this in a young dog. One is called a histiocytoma, which is a benign growth of allergic type cells. These generally do not return after surgical removal and require no further treatment. The other type is called a mast cell tumor. This is a type of cancer that's severity heavily depends on the staging. If the mass is a mast cell tumor, the biopsy will give you staging information that can help determine the severity. In the event it is cancer, it may require extensive follow up and treatment. Both of these types of masses are easily irritable, so the bloodiness during grooming doesn't alarm me either way. I will keep my fingers crossed for young Finn to have a benign result during his test this week! I hope this has been helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

What is this red growth on my Golden Retriever's lip? I'm worried.

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