Dog lump

[CrazyLabs]

I have an 8 yr old choc lab. He's about 90lb and in pretty decent shape. Last week I noticed a rather large lump on his side. It's about 4" in diameter and sticks out just enough to notice it. From the feel of it, it seems to be on top of his ribs. I let it go for a week thinking that it could be a battle wound from playing with his younger brother, but the size has stayed the same.

Of course, my first thought is a tumor of some sort. Could it be anything else? Has anyone had any experience with something like this? I just want to be somewhat prepared when I take him into the vet. Which brings me to my next question. Am I going to go broke just investigating this?

[EBass]

Our doberman developed tumors which were cancerous. (back when I was a kid) She was put down. One of the saddest days of my life.

Hope he pulls through - good luck.

[HawgTide]

I've had several dogs that have grown lumps on them as they got older. Most of the time it is non-malignant tumors and cysts. One bulldog I had had about 20 on him by the time he was 12 years old. I personally would not worry about it (unless other symptoms occur) and just have the vet look at it on his next visit.

In regards to you next question, the answer is probably. Vets are expensive, no doubt.

[snowman678]

As for what it is, I can't say, but I'm taking my lab to vet tonight to get her checked for a marble sized lump on her leg, I'll try to remember to post on cost later. I personally would take the dog in (as I'm doing), as my dog is too good of buddy to risk her having some sort of problem that I may have been able to take care of early on w/ a visit to the vet. JMO.

[fishorgolf]

Lumps like this are very common as they get older. We just had to put down our "almost" 14 year old lab Monday (very sad day) and she has had these lumps for as long as I can remember and never caused her any problems. Like Hawgtide says just have them checked out on the next vet visit.

[tori's dad]

Dont ignore it- my lab had a lump on his leg- I thought it was a hunting injury- I thought it would just go away. Get it checked out so you are not wondering. My lab lived with his cancer another year with the right treatment- good luck.

[Farmboy1]

I had 5 removed from from my dog this summer. My vet tested them and said they were fat deposits under the skin. He thought that they were caused by minor injuries during hunting. Take him in, have them looked at. If it just nice to know.

[setterguy]

I just did this yesterday. My 13 year old vizsla has had lumps and bumps for about 3 years now, nothing to get alarmed about and the vet agreed. Well within the last 3 weeks one of them has grown large, about golf ball size and I was worried sick. I took him in yesterday and she sucked some stuff out of it, looked at it under a microscope and said she didn't see anything of concern. We both decided to have it taken off due to comfort for him and the grossness factor. She said it may eventually burst which could obviously cause a big mess.

Trip yesterday 45 bucks.

Surgery monday with all blood tests, ect . 260.00

I thought that was more than fair, I was expecting much more. They said they could test the lump for another 90 but as his age it doesn't make much difference at this point what it is.

[Snag]

My Golden has a few. The vet said they are lipomas or fatty lumps. I think you are fine if they are round in shape. If irregular, it has a better chance to be cancerous. They don't seem to bother him, so we haven't done anything yet. If they get too big, we will have them removed.

[island guy]

My ten year old lab has two good size size fatty tumors. Not cancer. Fatty tumors. Vet said nothing to worry about. But, at 10, it has slowed her down. Also has a bad right rear hock that is slow to heal. She couldn't hunt this year. But still a great family pet. Just can't hack the hunting anymore.

[BirddogLabs]

My 14 year old spaniel started to get fatty tumors when she was about 9-10 years old. They did not hurt her and the vet said their was no reason to have them removed as long as I kept an eye on them. The texture of the fatty tumors was soft and you could move them around slightly. They had a pretty solid shape to them and they did not hurt her to touch them or push on them. I had to put down my spaniel a week and a half ago, and she had probably 8-10 of these on her ranging in size from about a pea to a golf ball. I affectionately refered to her as my "little cancer box," but the vet did not think they were cancerous. Just as a precaution I would have my vet check them every time I brought her in.

[snowman678]

Brought mine in last night; vet wasn't 100% sure what it was (marble sized lump on leg), but he also wasn't very concerned with it. His top 2 guesses were a reaction to a vaccination, although the location and timing were not very consistent with that. Or, a possible BB that may have riccocheted off of some brush while grouse hunting. He said to keep an eye on it to make sure it isn't growing and/or causing the dog any discomfort, but he didn't feel it was anything serious. Cost was about $45, pretty cheap for the peace of mind it gave me.

[CrazyLabs]

He has some of the smaller fatty tumors as well. This new lump is quite a bit larger, but not as pronounced. It's kind of tough to see unless you are looking for it. Being that he is getting older, I check his body about once a week for stuff like this.

As I said above, this new lump is about 4" in diameter, and it doesn't stick out too far from his body. The other fatty tumors that he has stick out a little more...to the point that I can grab on to them.

Could this larger lump still be a fatty tumor?

[Harbi]

It would be a good idea to have a vet look at it. It may be a fatty tumor, but it could also be an infection that may require antibiotics. A friend of mine had a springer with a lump similar to what you describe that was due to an infection from a small scratch or poke from a stick.

[FCspringer]

One thing that gets under the radar is seeds, Most land planted for cover nowa days has canada wild rye grass in it and those seeds burrow in a dog and can cause a cist around them. If left untreated they will migrate as they only go one direction leaving a trail of infection and will penitrate vital organs and cause death to a dog. Anyone doing a planting of grasslands ask not to have this put in the mix or virgina rye. Hope all is well with your dog. But everyone be aware of hunting in CRP ect. that has Rye grasses planted, It will kill your dog.