My dog has a persistent lump on his hip. What should I do?

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Has it been already diagnosed? I am asking as without the diagnosis it is not possible to provide appropriate treatment options. 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. 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.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Based on the pictures you provided, I suspect that the lump you speak of is a benign skin tumor. It looks very similar to what we would call a sebaceous adenoma. These typically develop with old age and are typically nothing to be worried about. Sometimes these can continue to grow and can rupture or become infected. Normally these can be monitored at home and if there are any suspicious changes then I usually say to bring the pet in to have the mass examined. If you would rather play it safe to make sure this is nothing to be concerned about, you can have your veterinarian perform testing on the Mass to help better determine what it could possibly be. The veterinarian can perform a diagnostic test known as a fine needle aspiration test in which a small needle is inserted into the mass and then these cells are then reviewed under a microscope. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to cont

Unknown lumps and bumps are virtually impossible to diagnose without, at the very least, a visual inspection of the area. As such, I will provide you with some general information. An unknown mass or lump is typically one of the following: a cystic (fluid filled) structure, an abscess (fluid-filled, but infected), a mass / tumor, an allergic reaction / insect bite, or the result of a traumatic injury. A thorough physical exam and inspection of the affected area would be needed in order to determine which is most likely. In many instances, a needle aspirate (small amount of fluid obtained from the lesion and placed on a microscope slide) or tissue biopsy would be required to obtain a definitive diagnosis as to the type of lesion. If this is not an option, one must consider the location, distribution, duration of onset, patient breed / age / sex, and a variety of other factors. As Foxy is a younger dog, it is less likely that she would have a malignant tumor on her body than if she

This looks like a tumor. You need to make an appointment with your veterinarian to have this mass examined and preferably have a Fine Needle Aspirate done to send to a laboratory or have it removed right away if possible, in case it is a malignant growth. The FNA will help with diagnosing whether this is malignant or benign.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. It sounds like you may have attempted to attach a photo to this question but there is nothing here for us to see. If the area is not bothering Coco, I recommend monitoring it for the next few days to see if it changes in size at all. If it remains the same or goes away, this is likely OK. The only way to know exactly what it is, is to have your veterinarian sample cells from this area and examine them under a microscope. I hope this is helpful!

Usually these nicely rounded skin bumps are a cyst, or benign growth that are not harmful in any way. However, the truth is that we can't ever tell for sure from just appearance alone. We would have to take a sample and analyze it under the microscope to get a better idea. It's always a good idea to have a vet check it out, but given it's appearance and assuming everything else is going OK with Jake, I don't see a need to rush to the vet. It's fine to just observe it for now. If you notice it grow, start to have an irregular shape, or starts to crack open, then it would be best to have the lump examined sooner rather than later. Below is a good article with more information about skin masses. https://www.petcoach.co/article/lumps-and-bumps-on-your-pet/ I hope that helps and all is well with Jake.

Thanks for using Boop by Petco. I'm sorry to hear that Gypsie has this going on. I'm concerned that a bleeding, hard lump could be a skin tumor in Gypsie. If she is an older dog a skin tumor is a little more likely. She could also have a pressure sore or infection causing this issue. If you post a picture of the knot it may be helpful so we can provide more advice. There's a good chance that Gypsie may need to see a veterinarian to address this issue but it's hard to say without a better description or a picture. Definitely consider an exam with your veterinarian as I'm concerned if this lump continues to bleed it may get infected or cause more issues. Please consider posting a detailed description or picture so that I can help provide you more advice. Thanks again and regards to you and Gypsie!

Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address our concern. Judging from the photos, it appears that the mass is associated with the mammary gland. Some dogs can have a larger amount of fat and glandular tissue that is normal and nothing to be concerned about. However, this could be a primary mammary mass that needs further testing. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The picture you posted was a little blurry, so it was difficult to evaluate, but in general we usually can't tell anything about a mass by just looking at it. Your vet can perform a simple test called a fine needle aspirate where they use a small needle to collect some cells from the mass, then look at them under the microscope. They may even need to send the cells to the lab for a pathologist to examine them, so we know what the mass is. If it is benign, you might not need to do anything about the mass at all, but if they see cells that worry them, they might recommend removing the mass. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

First of all, don't be terrified of this lesion! I agree that it's quite prominent, but it could be due to any number of issues. Some possibilities include a benign cyst, skin tag, or a benign or malignant mass. The only way to differentiate between these conditions is with some diagnostic testing. I understand that it's difficult to get an appointment with a vet right away, but the good news is that this isn't an emergency. It will be okay if you have to wait a week or two to see a vet with Bullet. Your vet will need to perform a physical exam and a cytology, which uses a needle to draw a few cells from this lesion for microscopic analysis. Further testing may be recommended, depending on what they see, or they may recommend surgical removal or monitoring of this lesion. Until your appointment, continue to keep a close eye on this area for any sudden growth, ulceration, or discharge. I've included an article below about cytology. I hope that everything goes well for Bullet! https://w