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.
Hi Amy,
It could be anything from a cyst to a localized infection to a benign fatty lump, to something more serious. There is simply no way of being completely sure without your vet doing at least a fine needle aspirate or a biopsy of a piece of the lump. If you can, make an appointment with your vet to get it checked out. Until you know, all you’ll have is uncertainty and worry. Good luck! Please give your pup a cuddle from us all. Susan
My 8 year old chihuahua has a lump about the size of a marble on his back leg. It moves around easily, it is pretty firm and there is no fur on it. Any idea what it could be?
I took my dog to the vet less than a month ago. It was a routine physical for him. He was checked for lumps and had blood work done. Everything came back normal. However today I found a lump on him. I’m going to take him back to the vet but I wanted to know if I should be worried. I don’t think it could be cancer considering his blood test came back normal but the lump is very frightening. Any thoughts?
Hi Patrik, Well done for giving your dog a vet check-up last month and being so aware of his health! The sudden occurrence of a lump should be checked, but don’t put your energy into worry at this stage. It won’t do you or your dog any good. A lump could be anything from a fatty deposit, cyst, a little infection, the site of him bumping into a stick, etc. Do please get it checked out. The general blood test he had last month will not in itself measure whether there are any cancer cells in the body… rather it’s an indication of how well all of his organ systems are doing. We always recommend asking your vet to either aspirate the lump, where they use a fine needle to take fluid from the lump, or to do a biopsy where they would surgically take a piece of the lump. In each case the substance should be checked out in the lab and you’ll then get a diagnosis. Get advice from your vet but remember, you are your boy’s guardian and your instincts are his best guide. Don’t worry. Just make that appointment to give you piece of mind. Good luck!
I am so scared. My dog has surgery today to remove a small marble shaped lump near elbow on front leg. Vet indicated it could be cancer so its being biopsied. Everything I read says it might be cancer! This is my heart dog, I rescued him when he was 7mo from a shelter and he has been so healthy (now 7yo) as I make all my own dog food and do everything naturally. I am shattered and worried, recently lost a 15yo rescue that I only had for 2 years, no way can I get through losing this one, he is my heart dog 🙁 brit
Brit, Take a breath my dear. Wait until you have the biopsy results and know what you’re dealing with. I know you’re finding scary results on your search for information, but if you look for something you’ll eventually find it. That doesn’t mean this is your dog’s destiny. It’s great that you are making your own food. Stay strong, get the results, and even if it IS a malignant growth there is so much you can do, and I really want to emphasize that to you. I’ve had two dogs with cancer, and the second boy is asleep behind me, just celebrated his 16th birthday. Hold on, get your information, and if you do have a fight ahead check out this site and all the great information to help you navigate it. Your dog will rely on your emotions through this. Keep your tail wagging. All the best!
Thanks for this blog entry. It is very helpful in every way imaginable.
hi dr demian
I have a 1 year and 4months old dog. her name is ruby she has soft swelling like tennis balls behind both her front legs on the joints is there any way to bring the swelling down what do I do Justin from south Africa
Hi Dr D, I have a 13 year old lab who has over the past few years developed a hard lump in her right front leg just below her shoulder and has recently developed another large lump on her right side near her back leg that is just a bit bigger then a golf ball and is soft and squishy with what looks like little red freckles around it now, I know I should probably get her checked out but I have no clue how much it would be and vet clinics get pretty expensive and she does not look like she is bothered by it or in any pain, she’s still pretty active and runs around with my little sisters sometimes and doesn’t look like she’s sick, any suggestions on what it may be?
Dustin
I would get the bump tested so you know what it is…
D
My Yorkie Hobbes is 5 years old. He weighs 5 pounds. He has a small rubbery growth on his left rib. Does not bother him when I touch it. Today I felt a new lump on the exact same rib on the opposite side
My dog is only 4 years old and about a month ago I found a lump on her leg. I am very worried about her. My grandma says that she will be fine but I don’t think so.
My grandma is not willing to go to the vet about this. What should I do?
Dear Skylar,
i really think that it is best to get a lump checked. It may not be dangerous, but in the same way that a human being should get a lump checked (like a lump in the breast of a woman for example), dog lumps should be diagnosed at the vet’s.
I hope this helps
Dr D
Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much I brought my dog to the vet and he told not to worry