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My senior dog has a paw lump. When should I take her to the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Female | spayed | 12 years and 11 months old | 20 lbs

We just noticed that our almost 13 year old jack russel/chihuahua mix has a small growth or cut or something on her front left paw. She doesn't seem particularly bothered by it but does pull her foot away when we try to look. Should we take her to the vet?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 31st, 2019

This does appear to be a tumor/mass- it may be benign or malignant. I cannot tell just by looking at it and neither will your vet. They will have to do an aspirate of the mass to collect some cells to look at them under the microscope. This is a good screening test to see what type of mass this is.

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