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What is this pale lump with red area on my dog's neck or shoulder?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Pinscher | Male | neutered | 5 years and 5 months old | 23 lbs

I was rubbing his neck this afternoon and felt something odd when i looked it was a lump just above his shoulder. Its pale in color with a red area near it. Im concerned as to what it could be. Please help

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 22nd, 2018

This is a small bump on Rascal's neck, and it could be from an insect bite, a benign tumor, a small cyst, or potentially a malignant tumor. Any suspicious bumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take him into the vet in the next couple of days to have this bumps examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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Please see photo attached. Bump located on the neck. Did not changed since a month.
Thank you for providing a picture of Joe's bump! It could simply be a wart or another type of benign tumor, but it could also be a malignant tumor. It's a good idea to get any bump that has been present for while checked out by a vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Joe seen by the vet in the next couple of days so the bump can be diagnosed and treated as needed. I hope this helps!
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1.5 yr old dog, found a flat feeling lump on shoulder last month, seems to be getting larger. What is this lump likely to be?
In a young dog, this lump is likely a cyst, a lipoma, or benign tumor. Any suspicious lump should be examined by a vet. The vet can do a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines them under the microscope. It's relatively quick to do, and usually painless for the dog. Given that it's been growing larger, I would have your dog examined by a vet tomorrow.
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I was out of town for 5 days and my dog was under a friend's care. When I came back, I immediately noticed a lump/mass under his neck that is reddish in color. The skin isn't broken. What could this be? Was he harmed? He is eating normal and acting
Hi, and thanks for your question. This lump/bump/growth should be ideally examined by your local vet to have a diagnosis established. Your vet may want to perform an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy to sample the bump and determine its underlying nature. Differentials would include skin cysts, infections, benign or more malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hello, what it can be? It's behind the neck, on the back.
This may be a pimple (little abscess), cyst or a tumor. . An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. Your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning. This may also just be a wart. You can observe this for a week or two and if it does not grow, just keep an eye on it. If it grows, take your dog to your vet for an exam.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog has a grayish bump on her neck with a black end on it. What could that be?
This bump on Baby could be a benign growth or it could be a malignant growth. Any suspicious bumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take Baby into the vet sometime next week to have the bump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. Good luck, I hope this helps!
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I noticed a small hard bump on the back of my dog’s neck. What is this?
It could be a cyst, a wart, or some other benign or malignant growth. The only way to know for certain what a bump is is to take a sample of cells with a needle or biopsy for examination under a microscope. If it seems to bother your dog or appears to be growing rapidly, be sure to have this lesion checked out in the next week or two. Otherwise, if your dog isn't bothered and the lesion doesn't seem to be changing much, I would recommend having it checked out by a vet in the next couple of months.
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So my dog has a small bump on her lower left side of her back. It's about the size of a pinkie fingernail. It is firm not squishy. I noticed it about 6 maybe 8 months ago. It has not grown since I noticed it. It can be seen on her back in the light.
Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. I'd give Roxy's vet a call in the morning to make her an appointment.
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My dog has got a little bump on his side, I have no idea from what. I just want to know if I should take him to the vet, or will it just heal on it’s own
This lump/growth should be ideally examined by your veterinarian to have a definitive diagnosis. Your vet will examine it and possibly perform with an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy. Differentials would include skin cyst, infections or benign or malignant type of tumors (unlikely given his age). Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Tavia is a 7yr old Boston/Pug/Beagle/Shih Tzu cross. She has been healthy aside from several seizures she suffered when she was 4 due to stress from a new dog in the house. 5 months ago I noticed a bump on the back of her neck. I have attached a pi
This could be a benign tumor, but it is concerning that it's gotten bigger. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. I would give Tavia's vet a call in the morning to make her an appointment. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog has this weird bump on his that i saw him biting at. I’ve never noticed it but it looks bad. It could be a tick or something but i just wanted to see if u knew what it was
This looks like it could be a growth and it's clearly bothering him if he's biting at it. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment.
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