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My 9-month-old dog has a skin lump. Is it cancer or benign?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mastiff | Female | spayed | 9 months and 12 days old | 70 lbs

I’m just wondering if this is skin cancer on my dog or what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. She’s a 9 month old husky mastiff

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Maria DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 27th, 2018

It is hard to see a growth from the picture. It looks like an area of hairloss. If it is raised and seems like a growth it is most likely a histiocytoma. These are benign growths in young dogs that grow big and ugly and then disappear. I would have your veterinarian take an aspirate of it to confirm that is what it is. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 28th, 2019

    Hello. This looks like a histiocytoma, or button tumor. This is a very common, but benign cutaneous tumor seen in young dogs. I encourage you to have this confirmed by your veterinarian because if it is not a histiocytoma, you will probably want to have it removed before it gets larger. Otherwise, histiocytomas usually regress & disappear in 1-2 months. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Maria DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 12th, 2018

    WIth how old Sam is it looks like it could be a histiocytoma. A histiocytoma is a benign growth. The best thing to do is get an aspirate of the growth to confirm this. An aspirate or biopsy is the only way to say 100% what the growth is. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Sarah Derksen, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 30th, 2019

    Hi. This appears to most likely be a histiocytoma. A histiocytoma is a benign skin mass that usually goes away by itself. They occur in pets usually less than 2 years of age, with a round, pink, raised, sometimes dry and ulcerated, growth. They are usually on face, muzzle or ears. Skin cancers are possible too but less likely given his age.

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