Things that go bump in the night can make us jump.
Things that cause bumps on our pets can make us panic.
It’s alarming, after all, when we’re petting our dogs and cats and suddenly come across something that should not be there.
But is every unusual lump or bump on a dog or a cat a reason for concern? As always, the best person to put our minds at ease and our pets on the path to better health is—you guessed it—the family veterinarian.
What Should I Do If My Pet Has an Unusual Lump or Bump?
According to Doylestown Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Laura Weis, DVM, CVH, when encountering an unusual lump or bump on a beloved pet, the best first step is to take a deep breath, remain calm, and be proactive.
“I do a lot of surgeries, so I end up taking a lot of these bumps off of patients. And when we’re sending them off to the pathologist for more information, we have to fill out a history. Frequently, we just don’t have great information, like ‘When did you first notice the bump?’ or ‘How big was it?’”
Dr. Weis notes that a little bit of information can make a big difference. Pet owners should mark their calendars with the date the bump was first noticed and then grab their cell phone cameras.
While veterinary teams strive to take photos in the office, Dr. Weis says it is incredibly helpful if pet owners can document certain aspects at home—particularly regarding size.
“Approximately how big is the bump? Take a photo using something that shows scale. A ruler is great, but even a finger or a coin can give us a good idea of the size of the bump.”
And then—“and this is the short part,” says Dr. Weis—make an appointment to see your vet ASAP.
Lumps, Bumps, and Other Troublesome Things
“There are so many bumps that are nothing to worry about,” Dr. Weis says.
Lipomas, or fatty masses, for instance, are soft, freely movable, and painless to a dog. “If you put your finger around them, they’re a little squishy. They’re a normal skin color and usually don’t cause hair loss,” Dr. Weis explains.
Lipomas are typically left alone, unless they grow rapidly or in places, like armpits, that impede motion in our pets. “In those cases, you want to remove them before they are too big.”
Another very common bump is what people call “warts,” says Dr. Weis. In actuality, they are small sebaceous glands that secrete sebum that coats a dog’s skin.
“There are genetic predispositions for these,” Dr. Weis explains. “In many dogs, as they get older, these little glands proliferate and form a benign growth called a sebaceous adenoma. They might look like little warty growths that don’t do anything. Some continue their job to secrete sebum, so you may see that they have a little discharge.”
Older dogs, Dr. Weis says, are prone to sebaceous adenomas and may scratch them until they bleed, which is typically the only time they are removed surgically.
True warts, Dr. Weis notes, are caused by the papilloma virus and usually seen in very young dogs whose immune systems have yet to mature. Often found around the mouth or on the feet, they typically regress on their own.
Masses in the mouth are very often benign, Dr. Weis says, but should still be assessed, as malignancies can occur. A little bump called an epulis is typically the same color as the gum tissue and is common in certain breeds. They may also appear where there is misalignment or in areas where a dog’s teeth have rubbed continuously against the gum.
Masses near the eyes known as meibomian gland adenomas are largely harmless and, like lipomas, rarely removed–unless they rub against the surface of the eye or cause trouble with vision.
Skin tags are common in older dogs. These completely benign outgrowths of tissue are typically soft and flat, with the biggest concern being that they can get snagged on something
The Next Steps
Once you’ve documented the lump or bump at home and have made your veterinary appointment, the work begins.
“At the office, we’ll get the calipers out and measure the bump(s), take photos, and document the location,” Dr Weis says.
A fine needle aspirate (FNA) might be conducted, wherein a tiny sample of cells is collected from the mass. These can occasionally be examined in the office—a process called cytology—while other times the sample may be sent to a pathologist.
If the smaller sample of cells does not provide adequate information, or if concerns persist, a biopsy sample—a bigger piece of the mass—may be sent to the pathologist.
“Or, sometimes, if it’s small enough, we’ll just remove the whole mass and send that off,” Dr. Weis says.
Dr. Weis notes that pet parents should be on the lookout for signs that expedite the need for a veterinary appointment, such as:
- Pain associated with a mass.
- A discharge of blood or other material.
- Other signs of discomfort or being unwell.
“Sometimes people bring in cats for bumps, and they turn out to be an abscess from a fight. It’s not really a mass or a growth, it’s a pocket of infection,” Dr. Weis says.
Occasionally, foreign bodies are the culprit, Dr. Weis says.
“A pet may have gotten a splinter—or, really, it can be anything—underneath the skin. I’ve seen little sharp pieces of plants or slivers of metal that the body tries to wall off. forming a chronic bump that can drain and be very painful.”
The bottom line? Lumps and bumps can be a lot of things – worrisome, unsightly, unpleasant. But one thing they are not is easily diagnosed without the help of a professional.
Strange bumps on our pets are no doubt a significant concern for loving pet parents. But with due diligence and a good veterinarian on your side, they don’t have to be a bump in the road for very long.
