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Why does my puppy have a red, itchy, hairless bump on his chest?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shar Pei | Male | neutered | 8 months and 6 days old | 40 lbs

My sharpei mix puppy developed a dime sized bump on his chest about a week ago. It started out as just a bump, it is now hairless and red I’m assuming due to him irritating it and trying to itch it. I am able to move it freely and it has not grown in size since it lost the fur, it has grown a bit since it appeared. I’m attaching a picture of it from around when it appeared and 2 from today.

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on February 8th, 2020

I recommend to have Cash examined by the veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. This mass could also be a benign Histiocytoma. Unfortunately, they look alike. Your veterinarian will need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. Protect the area from itching with a dog shirt and he shoudl wear an elizabethan collar at all times if he can reach the area. If it is a Histiocytoma, sometimes inject steroid into the lesion can cause it to shrink and stop itching. Have this checked out soon.

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 6th, 2018

    I suggest you get Xena checked out by your vet. Any older dog that has a new lump that has come up should be examined. The lump resembles a histiocytoma however, those are most common in young dogs (like under 3 years of age). So, while it is not impossible that it could be a histiocytoma, it is not likely. Some other possibilities of what this could be: 1. Tumor - benign (ie: histocytoma, papilloma, fibroma, etc) 2. Tumor - malignant (ie: cancer like mast cell tumor, squamous cell carcinoma, etc) 3. Cyst - (ie: sebaceous, dermal, etc) 4. Abscess/infection (unlikely) There is no way to distinguish which of those it is without some testing. https://www.petco.com/content/content-hub/home/articlePages/health-wellness/Bumps-and-Lumps-in-Dogs-and-Cats.html Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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    Answered By Jenny, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 10th, 2017

    Since it is growing, it best to have a vet check her and possibly x ray it to see if it is associated with the bone. From there they can aspirate some cells to see if it scar tissue from an older injury or a tumor of some sort.

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    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on January 12th, 2019

    Good Morning. This looks like it may be a pustule from a skin infection called puppy pyoderma. If it is the only one I may wait a few days and see if it goes away on its own. However, if more start to form then he will need to be seen by your veterinarian for possible antibiotics therapy. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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Related Questions

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My dog has a red bump on her chest, will like to know what it is.
Hello and thank you for your question. I recommend to have your pup examined by the veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red/pink raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. This cancer can spread to the internal organs. Your veterinarian will need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. Have this checked out soon. Fingers crossed this is not a MCT and is something benign instead but you can't tell by looks. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Our 4 month old puppy had a red bump on her chest. Now about 3/4 days later is bigger and has rough feeling to it
It could be a skin infection, allergic dermatitis, or possibly a histiocytoma. Have your vet examine her to determine the cause. Your vet can do a needle aspirate to help diagnose and then determine if treatment is needed. Histiocytomas affect young dogs and usually resolve with no treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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I just want to know what type of bump is that and does it need a treatment? Is it normal for a puppy to have that? He is 4 months old and he’s always itching/ licking it? He still eats, plays and acts normally perfect. Just want to make sure if every
Hi there! I'm sorry to hear about Quavo's troubles. An itchy lump like that could be indicative of either a mild bacterial infection, a contact dermatitis - meaning something irritated him and he keeps licking at it and perpetuating it, or it could even be a ringworm lesion. There are a few tests that can be evaluated to find out. The best thing to do is take Quavo to see his veterinarian. The veterinarian can assess the bump and determine if topical and/or oral medications are required. Based on what I can see from the photo, the area where it is could be consistent with where Quavo was neutered. He may be having a suture reaction. (It doesn't say he is neutered in the description, but just in case he was and you forgot to say). Other lumps puppies can get that are called, histiocytomas. They are benign cancerous lesions that can be very itchy and uncomfortable, but will usually regress on their own. Again, it's best for a veterinarian to take a look and determine what course of act
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog has raw looking pump on his chest is it a tumer
It's possible that this could be a skin tumor of some kind. It could also be a bacterial skin infection, or a localized inflammatory reaction to an insect bite or something similar - without being able to examine him, it's hard to say. I would recommend taking Athens to the vet to have this checked when you are able to. He/she can do a simple test called a fine needle aspirate if needed to find out what the bump is, and will advise you on whether it needs to be surgically removed depending on the results.
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Hello - I have a 2 (almost 3 year old) female golden retriever. I noticed a small white bump on the top of her left front chest/arm area. It didn't seem to be bothering her (no itching/scratching it). Although now it seems to be getting bigger. Is t
Since it has changed size in such a short time, I recommend getting it checked by your vet. She's very young to be developing growths or tumors but it isn't unheard of at her age. Your vet will do an exam, some lab work, probably using a needle to sample some cells from inside the lump to try to identify the kinds of cells inside and therefore what is causing the lump. Based on these results, your vet will be better able to tell you what is going on and how best to proceed from there, if it is benign or needs further investigation.
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our dog has always had a small red bump ( with no hair on it ) on his side but recently it has grown rapidly and yesterday it seemed to be starting to discharge. what is it and what can we do ?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Beckham. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. There is, unfortunately, an aggressive form of skin cancer known as a mast cell tumor. It appears as a red, raised and hairless mass. His veterinarian will collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This will tell you the type of mass and how best to treat it. He will likely require surgery. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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i found this red lump on my dog maverick , there was no change in his behavior or signs of pain so i didn’t think it was an emergency to get him to a vet he’s had it for almost a month and still nothing. today , i tried gently grabbing it to see if
Pain and/or changes in behavior are not indications of a cancerous mass (the vast majority of cancerous masses are not painful and do not cause changes in behavior) but it does sound like the mass is bothering (and possibly hurting) Maverick. The only way to know what the mass is and if it is cancerous is to collect a sample of cells to examine under the microscope. Have him examined by the veterinarian within the next 24 hours. if he will wear an elizabethan collar, it will help to protect the mass from further trauma. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Health & Wellbeing
Dog has what looks like a red skin tag. Can I send pic?
That mass could be several things. Red raised hairless masses can be benign growths such as warts, histiocytomas, reactions or infected hair follicles. They can unfortunately also be malignant grows such as Mast Cell Tumor or Plasmacytoma. I would recommend to have it checked out by the vet who may be better able to tell how concerned you should be by palpating the mass and the surrounding lymphnodes. The good news is that the majority of masses are benign but it's always better to be safe. Thank you for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Health & Wellbeing
Hi my dog has a bump on his chest right behind his right leg. I was wondering what this could be? It looked like there was pus coming out of it on his hair, but besides that just looks like a red bump, that's hard. Do I need to take him to the vet, o
I am sorry to hear about Tonka! It is hard to evaluate the bump based on this photo, as it is a little blurry and there is no way for us to know the size of what we are looking at. If the red area is large/very raised, like the size of a nickel or raised more than 1/4 cm then I would be more suspicious that we have a small tumor of the skin (we can have both benign and malignant skin tumors). If the area is smaller and not bothering him, you can try washing with a mild soap and applying a topical antibiotic like neosporin 2-3 times a day. If the lesions isn't resolving by the end of the week or if it is more mass-like as I described earlier, then a vet exam would be recommended.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hello my name is savanna, and I was just wondering if I could get an opinion on this small red firm bump my dog has on her chest. She is a 4 year old lab Shephard mix. The bump doesn't seem to bother her at all but as a dog mom I can't help but worry
I don't think this is worrisome at this stage. It could be a cyst or it may be a benign mass like a histiocytoma. I would just watch it and if it does not go away on it's own in about 4 weeks or if it gets significantly larger in that time frame then she should see your vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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