lump on dog

hey there budd,

I am a Veterinary Technician...... lumps can be either Malignant (Cancerous) or  Benign (harmless) it is very common for older dogs to get all sorts of lumps...... most are benign fatty tumors which can get quite large but are harmless. there is the possibility that this lump could be harmful. you can have a needle aspiriate done to help determin if the cells are potentially cancerous or if they are something like a fatty tumor.) lumps on the surface under the skin like the one you are describing can be removed by a lumpectomy.... after the lump is removed it can be sent to a lab for a histopathy (the lump is looked at by a pathologist under a microscope and the pathologist determins if it is cancer or not.

i hope this helps.... if you have any other questions just ask