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My dog has a new pimple-like bump on his paw. What is this growth?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 8 months old | 16 lbs

I found a small pimple looking pump on my dog’s paw, and I don’t know what it is. I check his paws regularly and this was never there.

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 18th, 2018

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Lucky. It is possible this is a small pustule/bacterial infection maybe due to a wound (stepping on something sharp) but it could also be a small mass/growth (it is hard to say without seeing it in person). You can try applying warm compresses a few times a day to bring it to a head and putting a topical antibiotic ointment on the area 2-3 times a day. If the area is not resolving within a week or if it is getting larger/painful then an exam is recommended.

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 15th, 2018

    From the pic you provided the ''pimple'' looks like a small mass/growth. Although it looks like a benign type of skin growth, it 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. 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.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 29th, 2018

    Hello, sorry to hear about Babette. There are multiple causes for this, however, most commonly those small growths are are typically sebaceous cysts and are benign. They may bleed if she scratches at them. On the other hand, the bump may be something more aggressive. The best way to determine what it may be, is to have the bump evaluated by your veterinarian. If small, they may remove it so that it stops bleeding and have it submitted for biopsy to determine if it is something cancerous. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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    Answered By Catherine Stecyk

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 16th, 2019

    Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This looks like a wart or possibly a keratin cyst. Both of these are benign growths in the skin. I recommend monitoring this bump over the next 1-2 weeks and if it increases in size or starts to bother Roscoe, it should be examined by a veterinarian. Otherwise, if it stays the same or goes away, I would not be concerned. I hope this is helpful!

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