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Why does my dog have a painful hard lump on her back near her neck?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 9 years and 5 months old | 11 lbs

My dog brooks has a round hard lump / bump inside of her on her back below her neck and it hurts her when touched. What could this be ?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 29th, 2020

This could be a benign or a malignant growth. It could even be a cyst. 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 Brooks's vet a call to make her an appointment. I hope this helps!

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 14th, 2018

    Hi, and thanks for your question. 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. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 2nd, 2019

    This could be a cyst, lipoma, or abscess. 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 Gracie's vet a call to make her an appointment. Best of luck.

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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