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Lumps, Bumps, cysts, tags and odd skin growths in DogsPlease note: The information on our site is for everyone to read. Please use it as often as you like.
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Skin tag, fibropapilloma on lip of Bichon
Is bump bacterial folliculitis, acne or mast cell tumor
Itchy lump on pug
Sebaceous cysts in Springer
Apocrine (sweat gland) cyst
Cyst on leg
Epulis on gum of Labrador
Canine Papllomaviruses
Lump on Bulldog
Lumps
Lump in abdomenalso seen Lipoma
also see Cancer
also see skin problems
Skin tag, fibropapillomas on lip of BichonQuestion: Dear Dr.-
I have an 8 year old bichon frise named Casper. I have written to you about him before. I
am writing this time because he has a growth on his bottom lip. The best way I can describe
it is by comparing it to a tick. That is what I thought it was when I first saw it. If you picture
a tick flattened out, that is how this "growth" appears. The growth has a few pieces of skin
growing from it, like little stems. It is hanging from his bottom lip and is connected only by a
small piece of skin. It is dark in color. About as dark as his lip itself. I am very concerned
that it may be cancerous. I realize the only way to know for sure is to get it biopsied, but I
wanted to know if you provide me with some information before I take Casper to our vet.Sincerely, Callie
Answer: Callie-
It sounds like you are describing a skin tag, also sometimes called fibropapillomas, skin polyps,
fibrin tags or achrochordons. These are benign growths that are not cancerous. They can be
confused with some forms of cancer, most notably keratoacanthomas (benign) and melanomas
(often malignant). Most of the time, if these have a pendulous base, they are going to be a
benign lesion. Despite this, when they occur on the lips or around the mouth it may be best to
have them examined by a pathologist after removal, just to rule out the melanomas, since when
melanomas occur in these areas they are more likely to be malignant. This might be an example
of being overcautious, depending on the exact appearance of the sores, though. Your vet can
help you determine the importance of having a pathologist look at the lesion after removal.I hope that this helps some.
Mike Richards, DVM
9/4/2001
Is bump bacterial folliculitis, acne or mast cell tumor in pug
Question: Dear Dr Mike
My 5 yr. old spayed female pug Julie, has been getting bumps on her chin,
under her lower jaw, sometimes around muzzel area, but usually under chin.
Not very often, however, now she has a large bump, which makes me wonder if
it could be a mast cell tumor. She had a grade2 mast cell tumor removed from
her stomach last fall.
Is it possible that pugs have acne type bumps around the lower jaw/ chin
area? I thought that certain breeds could get bumps around the mouth/chin
area.
I am watching this bump she has, if not better in a few days, I will take her
to the doctor. Please let me know your opinion.
Sincerely, ElkeAnswer: Elke-
It is a good idea to have unusual lumps examined when they persist,
so I hope that you did that.
It is often possible to tell if a bump is likely to be a mast cell tumor
from a needle biopsy or sometimes even from an impression smear (just
pushing a glass slide against the lump). A skin biopsy can confirm this and
some vets prefer just to go ahead and do the skin biopsy or to remove the
tumor if there is room to do that and take enough surround skin to feel
good about the margin around the tumor.Acne is not too common in dogs but I think of pugs as somewhat prone to it.
I am not actually sure that is the case, though. They are also a little
prone to getting demodectic mange as adults, so we usually try to do a skin
scraping when the areas around the chin, lips, eyes or feet become inflamed
in older pugs. The most common condition causing acne like lesions on the
chin or lips is bacterial folliculitis, which if severe is referred to as
furunculosis. The difference between these conditions is subtle but
basically folliculitis is more due to skin infection and acne more due to
keratinization defects, which can become infected secondarily.The treatment for folliculitis if it is mild is usually benzoyl peroxide
shampooing twice a week. This is an antibacterial shampoo that also helps
with deep cleansing. If it doesn't work or if there is moderate to severe
inflammation it may be necessary to use topical corticosteroids to control
the inflammation and then long term antibiotic therapy (six to eight weeks)
to control the infection. This can be a frustrating condition to treat in
some dogs.Contact allergies are sometimes thought to be an initiating cause for this
condition. The most common contact allergies for this area are plastic food
bowls and bedding materials like wool or cedar chips. I can't really tell
you how often these things are a problem but it is easy to replace plastic
feeding bowls with ceramic or stainless steel ones so we recommend doing that.I hope that things are better and that you don't really need to know any of
this. If you need additional information please feel free to write again.Mike Richards, DVM
6/27/2001
Question: Dear Dr. Mike,
We appreciate all of your thoughts regarding the lump on my pug.
I have an 8 year old pug that recently developed a lump on her chin. I
first noticed it in January 2001 when she had already scratched it open
until bloody. I thought it was a wound from all of her scratching. So I
treated it with Betadine and Neosporine. It finally healed about a week
and a half later but was a very "puffy", red, hairless lump, about the
size of a pea. I kept observing it for two weeks and then decided to make
an appointment to have the blood blister or infected area drained. When
her primary vet saw the lump he said it was a type of skin tumor. The
next day I got another opinion from her secondary vet and he said the same
thing.
Both told me to have it surgically removed and sent for biopsy. My first
thoughts are to avoid surgery as there are many risks. Five days later
the lump became about one-third the size. Then two more days later the
lump became one-quarter the size and then by Monday, three more days
later, the lump was down to 1/8 th inch and somewhat flat. A big
difference from the big bubble that was just over a quarter inch
diameter. Surgery was cancelled for the time being.From what I understand if the lump gets smaller it is most likely benign
and best just to leave it alone. However, if it does get bigger and
changes shape than I should have a biopsy done, as it may be
malignant. Is this true? Also, because I do not know the original size
of the lump as my pug scratched it open, could it be that it swelled up
like a pea because she irritated the newly developed lump? Currently,
she continues to scratch the area occasionally. Also, I asked one of the
vets to do a needle biopsy and he said it was too small. Is the lump too
small for a needle biopsy or should I seek a vet that would do a needle
biopsy? I haven't had a pet develop this type of lump before and I'm not
sure what appropriate action should be taken.Please help me help my puggy. I adopted her 2 and 1/2 years ago. She had
lots of medical issues to deal with at that time; dry eye, chronic ear
infection, urinary tract infection, in need of reconstruction surgery and
someone to give her lots of TLC. Since then I regularly treat her with
Cyclosporin and artificial tears (GenTeal) for her dry eye. Then use a
Pan-otic wash then treat ears with Gentamicin Sulfate (Otomax) and diet is
lamb and rice. She went from gloomy, droopy pug to spunky, happy pug as
my neighbors have told me.Thank you, Perri
Answer: Perri-
It is hard to tell skin tumors from skin infections, reactions to irritants
like tick bites, skin cysts and other small injuries that can occur to the
skin. So sometimes we recommend removal of a lesion that turn out not to be
important after it is removed and examined by a pathologist. I think that
the diagnostic process is worthwhile in these cases, even when it turns out
that nothing is found. If the spot is still itchy at this time, I really
would recommend thinking about having one of your vets recheck it and to
consider removal of the lump and examination by a pathologist, due to the
possibility of mast cell tumors when lumps on dogs are itchy.It is hard to remove lumps on the chin without general anesthesia, but we
can sometimes do this using a sedative, narcotic pain relief medication and
local anesthesia, depending on the size of the lump. It is generally harder
to use local anesthetics in dogs when you have to work on an area they can
see, though. Your vet may or may not be willing to give this a try but it
is something else to think about.When a lump has burst open it is often possible to make an impression smear
from the lump surface and have it examined by a clinical pathologist to see
if it is possible to determine what the lump is. This might be an option if
it continues to want to grow and rupture.Lumps are too small to do a fine needle biopsy of when it doesn't seem
possible to hold the lump still and be sure that the tip of the needle is
actually in the lump itself and not in surrounding tissue. The actual size
of the lump that can be succesfully biopsied varies a lot depending on
where it is. We can often aspirate from very small lumps on tight areas of
the skin, like the ears or along the tail, but need bigger lumps to be sure
we are in them if they are located deep in the tissue or are very mobile.I am hoping that this problem has simply resolved, but if not, it would be
best to check with your vet to see if an impression smear, needle biopsy or
even surgical removal with a local anesthetic is possible. It is best to
have itchy lumps examined by a pathologist after removal.Mike Richards, DVM
3/5/2001Outcome -
Dear Dr. Mike,
Thank you for responding to my concerns regarding my pug.Good news! The lump is completely gone. I took my pug back to both vets
for follow-up check on her condition and now there is nothing to worry
about. I believe it was a boil although neither vet could know exactly
what it was because I did not opt for surgery.Perhaps this situation may be helpful for other readers.
Thank you again,
Perri and Pug
Question:Hi Dr. Mike,
I have a couple of questions about my Springer Spaniel who's about 3.5
years old.She's had a sebaceous cyst for a while that recently enlarged and burst.
The vet extracted what material he could by hand and gave us
antibiotics, but said it would recur and the only solution would be
surgical removal of the gland. Since I assume the mechanism for these
cysts is similar to acne in people, is there no other treatment (such as
topical products) that we could try? I'm reluctant to do surgery for a
condition I assume is fairly benign.Of greater concern is a trembling of the back left leg I've noticed off
and on when Brownie is standing poised at attention - for example,
scanning the front yard or watching a squirrel. I've never seen it
happen when she's at rest and she shows no other unusual symptoms. What
might cause this? Could this be something serious neurologically?Thank you for your help.
Julie
Answer: Julie-
Sebaceous cysts, which are also called epidermal inclusion cysts and
infundibular cysts, are pretty common in dogs. Surprisingly, there isn't a
great deal of information in the veterinary literature on how to deal with
them. Many of these cysts will resolve without treatment but some do
rupture. Based on our practice experiences, we think that the fastest and
most consistently successful way to deal with these when they rupture is
to surgically remove the cyst. However, lots of times our clients wish to
take a different approach and we have used antiseptic rinses (dilute
betadine), antibiotic ointments (usually antibiotic eye ointments) and
antibiotic/corticosteroid ointments. Some vets have been
using isotretinoin (Accutane Rx), usually between 1 to 3 mg/kg/day for
inclusion cysts. We have not tried this in our patients, partly due to the
cost of Accutane. Most of the ruptured cysts will heal with time but some
do not. Once in a while the skin and/or subcutaneous tissues around the
cyst will become infected and this can be a pretty significant problem
when it occurs. If you did not elect to have surgery keep a careful watch
for signs of infection, such as redness or swelling, in the area around
the ruptured cyst and have a re-examination done at your vet's if these
signs occur.Trembling in a leg can occur when there is a painful condition, such as
arthritis or a disk injury in the spine. Dogs that are really intent on
something, such as dogs that point birds, retrievers or agility trial
participants often have noticeable trembling when they are anticipating
their next task. It would be good to mention this observation to your vet
the next time you bring your springer in for an examination but unless
there are more specific signs of pain, such as lameness or reluctance to
rise after laying down, I don't think that it is likely to cause problems
to wait until a visit for another reason.Mike Richards, DVM
1/15/2001
Question: Dr. Richards,
Please tell me as much as you can about how YOU
would handle the treatment/removal or "monitoring" of
a small Apocrine Cyst located on the back of a hind leg of
a large dog that does not seem to be bothered by it.
Thanks, Vox
Answer: Vox-
As long as you are sure that a cyst is actually an apocrine (sweat gland) cyst and not something else,
like an apocrine adenocarcinoma, then we usually leave these alone unless they are in a place that
bothers either the dog or the owner. Aprocrine cysts are usually pretty easy to remove and we have
been able to use local anesthetics in most cases when it seemed prudent to remove them. Apocrine
adenocarcinomas can look very similar in appearance, in some cases, and are a more serious
problem, as they are a form of malignant cancer. They usually look more like a tumor than a cyst but
sometimes have a cystic structure, usually with a dark blue to black tinge instead of a lighter blue or
purplish tinge seen with aprocrine cysts.
Mike Richards, DVM
12/12/2000
Question: Dr. Richards,
My dog developed a cyst (the size of a small grape) on it's
right hind leg. It does not appear to bother him in the least;
no signs of pain, he doesn't lick, scratch or bite at it.
I had it aspirated, and tested for abnormal cells. None were
present. I was told that there was no use in draining it,
because it would just "fill up again." I was instructed to
monitor it's size, and the way it feels. Right now, it's soft
and mobile ... you can tell it's fluid filled. I was also told
I could have it removed, which would be a fairly minor
surgical procedure, using sedation and a local. I will
not 'gamble' with the health of my dog. Is there a logical
reason for me to allow the cyst to remain and bear the
burden of allowing it to grow, becoming painful, or possibly
turn malignant, if there's a surgical CURE for it?Vox
Answer: Vox
There is no reason not to remove a cyst if your vet feels it can be done with a sedative and local
anesthetic. On the other hand, it doesn't sound like you have to based on what was found. If it is in a
site that growth would be a problem, or if it appears as if it could be ruptured by normal activities,
then removal while it is small makes sense. Otherwise, it is more of a personal choice but if general
anesthesia is not necessary, the risk is low.Mike Richards, DVM
11/29/2000
Question: Dear Dr. Richards. We have a female labrador, named Samantha.
She will be 13 next April. Last June when we got her shots, I told the
doctor lady that she had a small growth, pinkish in color, about the
size of the tip of the end of your index finger. It is right above her
front, top tooth. Since then, it has grown a little bit. I am concerned.
Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks DickAnswer: Dick-
The most likely problem, based on your description, is an epulis. These are benign tumors that occur
around the base of the teeth (often between two teeth). There is some chance that the problem could
just be hypertrophy (overgrowth) of the gums, especially if there is dental tartar or other irritation of
the gums but usually this problem affects more than one or two teeth. Less commonly, lumps like this
are due to oral cancers such as fibrosarcoma or squamous cell carcinoma.It is hard to tell an epulis from a fibrosarcoma by sight. For this reason, we usually remove epulides
when we clean teeth and find them or when they are obvious on a physical exam and we submit them
for examination by a pathologist if the dog's owners wish to be cautious about the possibility of oral
cancers.Epulides are much more common than the malignant oral cancers but there is no reason not to be
cautious and ask your vet to remove this lump and have it examined by a pathologist, especially since
it is worrying you.Mike Richards, DVM
12/24/2000
Question: We've been to the vet and he says they are
Viral Papilomas
(sorry about spelling - phonetic with Irish accent)and that they are caused by a virus.
We'd be very grateful for any information you have on thisThanks, Elizabeth
Answer: Elizabeth-
There are canine papillomaviruses.
One form of the virus cause oral papillomas, which are usually white growths on the lips or oral
tissues with a cauliflower look to them. These occur most often in puppies but can occur in
immunsuppressed older dogs, such as patients on long term corticosteroid therapy or undergoing
chemotherapy. These can occur in any breed and do not appear to prefer one sex over the other.Cutaneous papillomas are caused by a different virus and occur in older dogs. The most commonly
affected breeds are cocker spaniels, Kerry blue terriers and male dogs are more likely to be affected
than female dogs. These have a typical wart like appearance most of the time.Young adult dogs sometimes have cutaneous inverted papillomas. These are raised lumps with a
dimple in the center. I think they look like the knotted end of a balloon, sort of (bulge around the
edges, hole in the center). These are most common in the inquinal region.Schnauzer and pugs may develop multiple pigmented raised plaques on the inside of their rear legs or
abdominal region. This condition occurs most commonly in young adult dogs, as well. This condition
may be an inherited tendency in these breeds and there is a tendency for affected dogs to develop
squamous cell carcinoma at the infected sites after the initial papillomavirus infection.There is no specific treatment for the papillomas, except surgical removal. In most cases these will
cause little harm (with the exception of pugs and schnauzers) and often clear up spontaneously --
especially oral papillomas.There are conditions that resemble papillomas. The most common one is sebaceous adenomas but it
would be sort of unusual to have a sudden appearance of a number of these lesions.Mike Richards, DVM
12/16/2000
Question: Dr. Mike--
A little over a month ago, I e-mailed you regarding a small lump I
found found underneath my dog's skin where his shoulder blade lies. My
dog is a 14 month old Bulldog. Anyway, your advice was to take Tubby
to my vet to get the lump checked out. I was informed that the lump
was nothing to be concerned about and that it was probably due to scar
tissue or from a broken blood vessel. In any case, I was told it would
probably go away within a few weeks. Just for the record, the lump
does not bother tubby even if I touch it or apply pressure to it. In
the last 4 or 5 weeks, it has not gotten bigger or smaller. Should I
consult another vet? Please let me know if you have any clues as to
what this could be and if I should be concerned.
Thank You,Sergio
Answer: Sergio-
I would recommend just having your vet recheck the lump. The most common
lumps in this age range are probably histiocytomas, which usually do go
away on their own and inclusion cysts, which may or may not go away. There
are other possibilities, though. Since this lump has stuck around a while
your vet may want to do a biopsy or you may wish to have the lump removed
and examined by a pathologist.I sometimes do the same thing your vet is doing, though. There are lumps
that just really look benign in nature based on our clinical experiences
and it is hard to recommend removing some of these. Veterinary surgeons
argue that any lump might be a problem but general veterinary practitioners
recognize that in some dogs you could spend several days a year removing
lumps if you took the approach that all of them should be removed.When an owner is concerned, though, I am usually willing to remove the lump
and have a pathologist check it out. I think that is justifiable in most
cases, especially if the owner understands the costs and is willing to
assume the slight risk associated with anesthesia and surgery in order to
find out what the lump is. I suspect your vet would be willing to do this,
too, if you were still concerned after a recheck office visit.Mike Richards, DVM
4/29/2000Question: Dr. Mike--
I have an English Bulldog that is approx. 1 year old. Being that this
particular breed is prone to skin problems, I frequently check to see if
I see anything abnormal. A couple of days ago, I noticed what appears to
be a swollen mass underneath his skin right about where his shoulder
blade is. It's almost like a knot underneath his skin. The hair around
this area is also raised a little bit. Could this be a bite of some kind?
It doesn't seem to bother him so I haven't been too worried about it but
I thought I would take this opportunity to ask.Thank you, Sergio
Answer: Sergio-
I think that it is always worth checking into new lumps, especially in
patients this young. I really favor a fine needle aspirate, in which a
regular hypodermic needle and syringe are used to obtain a small sample
from the lump which can be examined under the microscope. This often gives
a strong indication of what the lump is and is an easy test for the pet to
tolerate.Please get this lump checked by your vet unless it is gone completely.
Mike Richards, DVM
3/25/2000
Q: I have 18mth pekingese and have just discovered lump about 1.5cm in diameter to right of centre line of abdomen at about level umbilical hernia would manifest. However lump is deeper than hernia (cannot feel full extent of lump internally) and is much harder, barely compressible. Dogs' behavior normal, no signs of changes at all. I am not able to say how long lump has been present, simply discovered recently while grooming. Buster is being taken to veterinarian but I live in rural area and knowledge of small animals a little limited. Any possible suggestions would be welcome. Many thanks for excellent site.
A: It would not be possible to tell you what this lump was without an examination. It is not unusual for there to be lumps over the umbilical region, though. They occur there commonly in three instances - when there was infection or other cause of scarring of the umbilicus, when there was a small umbilical hernia that healed shut but left some contents on the outside of the abdominal muscles in the hernial sac and finally, lipomas like to start in this region.
Scarring from umbilical infection or fibrosis of part of the umbilicus usually leaves a hard lump that is between a "BB" and a pea in size. Sometimes it has a cylindrical shape. There should be no problems associated with this.
Scarring from a healed umbilical hernia can be almost any size depending on what was trapped on the outside. It can be soft or hard in consistency. It is easy to remove the lump this leaves but it is not necessary to do so.
Lipomas are fatty cell tumors that are quite common in dogs. They usually show up in older dogs but we have seen them in puppies as young as 5 or 6 months on occasion. One of the younger dogs we saw did have the malignant form of this tumor which is very rare. For the most part these are benign tumors that do not cause problems. We usually aspirate (draw up some of the lump through a needle) and examine the cells from these tumors to confirm that they are just lipomas. We remove them only if they are causing problems with movement or the owners feel the need to remove them for cosmetic reasons.
You will need your vet to palpate and possibly aspirate from this lump to see what it is. Your vet will be able to do this and will give you the best options for your dog after checking out the lump.
Mike Richards, DVM
Last edited 08/30/02
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