Help! Found A Lump On The Dog… Now What?
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: August 5th, 2019
Summary
Dr. Demian Dressler, best-selling author of “The Dog Cancer Survival Guide”, explains exactly what to do when you find a lump on your dog.
One of the most common comments that readers post on this blog goes something like this: “Help! Found a lump on the dog… What do I do now? The lump is (description) and is on my dog’s (body part). Is it anything to worry about?”
It helps to widen back and look at lumps in dogs generally to help clarify this topic. What’s the number one cause of dog death, if we exclude euthanasia? Dog cancer. How does dog cancer most commonly look to the naked eye? It looks like a lump.
When we find a lump on a dog, this should be a red flag. A certain reaction should be happening in the mind of the dog lover. First, both veterinarians and dog guardians should know the number one most dangerous health problem that exists for dogs, the most likely problem that could take a dog away… cancer.
We have been negligent in spreading this information to dog guardians. And by “we”, I include the group I am a member of: veterinarians. Vets should have this information and be spreading it in the same way we talk about parvo and heartworm disease.
For some reason we don’t. Perhaps it is because bringing up cancer in a discussion feels a little out of bounds since we don’t want to upset our clients. Or it could be that there has not been a marketing push like there is for parvo vaccination or for heartworm disease. Since we have access to preventatives in these cases, pharmaceutical companies make a point to help spread the word about these diseases.
This is not wrong, of course. Why not protect a dog from a problem when it is prudent to do so? (The vaccination debate is discussed elsewhere…)
So why would a guardian wonder what to do if a lump popped up? Clearly, if a woman found a lump in her breast, she would most likely be at the doctor’s promptly. Why? Because there has been enough press on breast cancer that finding the lump would raise a red flag, sparking the thought that breast cancer happens.
But in veterinary medicine, there is a mental disconnect between lumps in dogs and cancer, in spite of the statistics.
The answer to the question of what to do if a lump is found on a loved dog is this: go to your vet and get it checked! Get it aspirated, get it biopsied, get the data you need!
Can a vet diagnose a lump by looking at it? Very occasionally, but usually not. Can a vet diagnose a lump by squeezing it? Very occasionally, but usually not.
One of my pet peeves (sorry, bad pun) is the diagnosis of a benign fatty tumor based on looking and touching alone. Soft, squishy bumps under the skin could indeed be harmless lipomas. But, they could also be dangerous growths like mast cell tumors, hemangiopericytomas, subcutaneous blood filled hemangiosarcomas, or liposarcomas. These all feel soft and squishy.
This brings a case to mind. Three weeks ago, a client brought her dog in to have a lump checked out. This had been previously diagnosed as a harmless lipoma at another veterinary hospital. It felt soft and squishy.
A fine needle aspirate was done on the growth at my hospital. I inserted a syringe with a needle in the growth, and pulled back on the plunger. Did fat enter the needle hub, which is what a fatty tumor would yield? No. The syringe filled with blood.
This was no lipoma. Blood filled swellings have their list of possibilities too, but one of them is a hemangiosarcoma under the skin, a malignant cancer. And over the 6 months that this growth had slowly increased in size with nothing done, the mass had swelled to about 4 inches across.
Now we had a big problem to deal with that could have been caught a long time ago.
The bottom line is this: remember the dog cancer statistics. According to the National Canine Cancer Foundation, 1 in 3 dogs will contract cancer in their lifetime, and this number increases to 1 in 2 if the dog is more than 10 years of age.
Get dog lumps checked!
For more information on dog lumps, how they are diagnosed, and their complete treatment options, check out The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
Best,
Dr D
Also see: Lumps On Dogs: When To Get Them Checked By A Veterinarian
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
I forgot to mention that my Maltipoo is very playful, eats, and wrestles with my puppy. Could he be ok?
I have a 9 year old Maltipoo who has a hard lump in the middle just below his ribs. He had other lumps too, which were soft. When I first noticed all these lumps the vet said that they were lipomas. He said to come back if they got bigger. The other ones went away, but the one in the middle of his ribs has gotten bigger. I’m very worried about him. Could it have turned dangerous?
Thanks,
Noreen
Hi Noreen,
If the mass is getting bigger, I recommend an aspirate or a biopsy to determine if cancer. Good luck!
Dr Sue
Dr. Sue,
Thank you for the reply. His CBC came back fine – white blood count was normal, liver and kidney function was good. So I hope that is a good sign. His surgery is tomorrow so I guess we will know more soon.
Thanks again,
Liz
Update – I don’t know if anyone is even answering this blog but I did call the vet to ask some additional questions after doing some research and she said it was NOT a mast cell tumor and not a fatty tumor but I guess something in between. Some sort of round cell tumor. I took him today to get a CBC bloodwork done so hopefully that will shed some light on things as well. I know the real answer will come with having the tumor out and having it analyzed but I am so worried I want as much info as I can get as soon as possible. I have looked at all the round cell tumors and from the descriptions it just does not seem like anything he has. It is just under the skin, just one lump, and is maybe about the size of a peanut. He does not have any symptoms related to appetite, digestion, lethargy, etc.
I just had my 7 year old lab mix to the vet for a small lump on his leg near the elbow joint. They did a FNA and the vet said she saw round cells but they were different sizes. She said because of this she couldn’t necessarily say that it was cancer but also couldn’t say it was nothing to worry about. She recommended having it removed, and his surgery is scheduled for the week after next. Can you offer any insight as to her explanation of the cells and what that means? I wish I had known what questions to ask her. I have been doing a little more research on “round cell tumors” but I still don’t have any idea what could show round cells of different sizes. Thank you for any information you can provide.
Liz,
Round cells are a class of tumors that includes mast cell tumors, lymphoma, plasma cell tumors, to name a few. I am not sure what was meant by of different sizes, but if an aspirate is inconclusive, surgical biopsy is the next step. Good luck!
All my best, Dr Sue
I found a lump on side of my Golden Retriever’s muzzle by accident. She was on antibiotics that were for a hematoma that had to be drained from her ear. I thought she was cheeking the pill and asked her to swallow again. She did but lump was still there so thinking she was being sneaky I pulled up her side lip and sure enough no pill. The lump felt more toward outside then inside her mouth. Did not look infected but asked vet to check it today. We both hoped it was just a cyst. He stuck it a few times. It was hard too. Nothing came out but blood and when he stopped she expressed her displeasure by making a woo woo sound at him. She goes back next week to recheck a few things that allergies are causing havoc with and he said it will bear watching. If it gets too big he will have to remove more tissue. About marble size now but I saw the look on his face and knew the worry about cancer was there. She is nearly 11. I just lost one due to cancer and heart problems and pneumonia at last few days and he had to be put down a month ago at 14. She forms a lot of fatty tumors but since the death of Ranger she is losing weight quickly. Not a bad thing since she was nearly 110 & now down to 95. Don’t know if cancer is now her problem or grief. Poor Ranger weighed 110 at death. He never lost weight with cancer. It was too aggressive and untreatable. I am very worried about Sparkle. I have 1 more Golden that weighed 86 but down to 74 since Ranger died. Are they both grieving? Guess this is two problems in one and two different dogs since I don’t count Ranger since he is dead now. Anyone know the percentage of Goldens that get cancer in one form or another with age? Don’t know if I want her to go through what Ranger did. He was a tough old guy as vet said. Refused to die or give up. But when he could no longer get up and had to belly crawl to pet door then be lifted down steps and helped back in that threw out my back as well vet said it was time. He was suffering. I can’t watch another go through that especially so soon after Ranger died. I just called back to see if they could just get some cells and check for cancer before removing it. Need to get the bill down fast. Paying about $400 per month and have been 3 years now. Down to $1100 now. Assistant told me probably not. They probably needed to remove whole thing and send it off. Really?
I have a 1 yr 3 months old black Labrador. We noticed a lump on the left side of his neck in the fold over the collar. It is painful to touch, squeeze or rub. He may have some difficulty swallowing also because he has been taking longer to finish his food these days and doesn’t eat in one go.
A few days back he would jerk his head vigorously from side to side. got him checked for any ear infection. the doc said that he did not have an infection but it may have been excessive wax which he cleaned out. Now about 2 weeks after that this lump has appeared. what could be the possible causes? we also have another lab (golden, male) about 1 yr old and they sometimes play roughly among each other.
So far the doc has mentioned a possibility of a laceration due to some foreign body. Hope it is nothing serious.
Please advise
Tanuja ,
I would start with an aspirate of the mass to see if there is an infection or inflammation. It could be a lymph node, hard to know without the exam. Follow up with your vet and good luck!
All my best, Dr Sue
My 11 year old dog was neutered about 2 years ago.On his “saggy sac” he has a lump. It is the size of a dime in roundness.I had it looked at 1 1/2 years ago and the vet wanted to remove it but was worried about the surgery due to his kidney disease. So we agreed to just keep a watch over it and if it got any bigger or changed colors we would then consider the removal surgery. When sleeps certain ways he puts pressue on it which causes it to swell. Yesterday when I came home from work it was very swollen and extremely red. I checked it again this morning and the swelling had went down but it was still very red. Took him to the vet this afternoon and scheduled removal for Friday.Discovered he has a heart murmur. He was put on antibotics and a anti-inflammatory. When I take him on Friday morning the vet will check his heart murmur and the lump to see if it has gone down or changed back to the “normal” color. If it hasn’t then surgery will go on as planned to remove it. What should I prepare myself for if the lump is removed? What could be the possbilites about what this lump could be? Very worried about this surgery since he is a older dog with kidney issues and now a heart murmur. This is my baby and I am very upset that he has another issue. Any advice?
What is the connection between vaccinations and cancer please
My dog has a smooth lump, about 3/8″, on her face about 1 1/2′ below her eye. At first I thought it was an engorged tick, but I cannot see a head or legs. I could not lift any part of it with tweezers. It actually looks like it is under her skin, like a fluid type of growth. It doesn’t seem to hurt her as she let me part her fur and probe around it with the tweezers. Any ideas? Could it be a tick under her skin?
Thanks for your advice.
Donna
please go to the vet for proper medical care for your dog. Might be no problem, might be life threatening.
Dr D