My dog has a new, large lump on his leg. When should I call the vet?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It's hard to say with out seeing a picture or examining Charlie. I always recommend any new skin bump be looked at by your Vet. If you want to watch it that is fine, but if it changes or rapidly grows it should be looked at. Sadly both benign and cancerous growth can look the same. If you want to post a picture I'd be happy to look at it. Have a great weekend!

Hi again and thanks for sending the pic to us. In this case this lump seems to be a tumor and would need ideally to be checked by your local veterinarian to differentiate in between benign and more sinister ones. The lump seems big enough to be able to take a fine needle aspirate from it without using local or general anesthetic. A small needle can be inserted inside the lump to get some cells out and analyse them.

Looking at the photo and considering your description of the progression of this, I would suspect that it is a growing mass. It could simply be a fatty lump such as a lipoma. Other possibilities would be a soft tissue swelling due to trauma, but this seems less likely considering the progression. I would head to the vet and get them to test the lump to see exactly what it is. If it is just a lipoma and not causing bother it should not need to be removed.

Ouch! Definitely something that should be checked out by your regular vet ASAP. Certain types of tumors such as mast cell tumors, hemangiomas, injuries, blood blisters, etc can all appear like this, and so it should be looked at and biopsied to see what is going on. Until you can get to your vet in the morning, keeping Berkeley from licking or chewing on the spot with an Elizabethan (cone) collar is best to reduce any further injury or irritation.

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.

Without further testing, there is no way to tell if this lesion is due to infection, trauma or allergy, or if it is a mass. Masses can be of a malignant (cancerous) type that can spread elsewhere and/ or invade the healthy tissue around them, or a more benign (noncancerous) type that is unlikely to spread. Cancerous types of masses are far less common than benign ones, but I recommend making an appointment for Chaos to see your vet to have the growth tested and to guide treatment. See the link below for more information on one of the more common types of masses that can look like what Chaos has on his leg. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952215

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Lady. This lump could be a cyst, a benign growth, or a malignant growth. 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 her vet a call to make her an appointment. I hope this helps!