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My dog has a new red lump on his neck. When should I see a vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered

Just noticed my dog has a red lump on his neck. It wasn’t like this yesterday. I did feel a bump when I was petting him a few days ago but today I noticed this red bump. Not sure if I should bring him to a vet or not.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 24th, 2020

I see what you mean about the red lump on Charlie's neck. It could be a cyst, a benign growth, or potentially a malignant growth if he's an older dog. 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 in the morning to make him an appointment. Best of luck.

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

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 24th, 2017

    This kind of lump/growth 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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