Lump on dog's leg

bubblewrap

Hi,

I noticed a lump the other week on my dogs leg, above his right knee, it is quite firm but moveable - doesn't seem to be causing him any discomfort and he doesn't really react if you touch it but I am concerned.

I know I need to see the vet, I am so worried and will probably start crying.

The lump is under his fur, I have looked under the fur and his skin isn't red or anything, the lump is about just under an inch long and wide. Haven't really noticed it before, you can only see it if you pick him up and his leg is bent, when he walks you can't really see it.

I read on the net it could be a fatty lump, or worse and I know a needle thing will be the only thing to determine exactly what it is but has anyone else been through this?

olaola

The vet will be able to tell by feeling it. It's prob just a fatty deposit. BUT do bring your dog asap, if it is something more serious, you'll want it caught as early as possible!

bubblewrap

Thank you, will do that. Don't want him to be ill.

He is 6 btw.

Ruby Soho

Fatty deposit or not, it will most likely need to be removed. If its a Lipoma, these are not malignant but can grow very quickly, and on the leg, this cannot really be afforded. The bigger it gets, the more difficult it is to remove, the last thing you want is for it to get so big that it affects the dogs movement, but too big to remove without it being an enormous job.
Dogs get lumps and bumps removed all the time, these are very common surgeries, and don't usually cause any problems. Best get it removed before it causes any further issues. When its being taken off, if the vet has any suspicions of it not being a Lipoma, it can be sent away for analysis to make sure nothing more serious is going on.

vibe666

what sort of shape is it?

if it looks kind of like the shape of a grape and is hard, it could be a tick.

have had them on dogs before.

best to take it to the vets to be sure though, they will know right away and have a special tool for removing them, although when I was a kid, my dad used to just burn them with a match to force them to let go.

if it is a tick don't try to pull it off or it's head could come off and you'll have a much harder time getting it off then.

either way, off to the vets to be safe.

spiderdog

yes, best to get the vet to check it out and prob remove it.
as its on the knee it will affect movement etc if it gets bigger.
try not to worry:)

Cinnomen

In my time of keeping dogs I have had many that have had a lump come up here and there, thankfully its never been anything bad but you need to go to the vet to find out, please dont leave this because you are not doing yourself or your little baby any favors by leaving this.
Many vets will be able to check this quickly for you and 9 times out of 10 it turns out to be a fatty lump, But get it checked out to put your mind at rest as soon as you can

princess_bride

One of mine has a lump on her back at the moment - sounds similar to yours. Brought her to the vet, and he diagnosed it as a cyst (probably started after she got a scratch). She was on antibiotics for a week to get rid of the infection, and will more than likely have to have (minor) surgery to remove the cyst itself, as it hasn't gone down.

Best to bring your dog to the vet to get it checked out and treated - good luck