How I Treat Canine Lumps and Bumps

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Lumps and bumps are very common in dogs, especially seniors; these growths typically fall into one of four broad categories
• Most growths are benign, however, if you notice a lump or bump on your pet that is changing in size or appearance, it’s important to make an appointment with your veterinarian; lumps and bumps are diagnosed via fine needle aspiration, biopsy, fluid cytology, and blood tests
• A fine needle aspirate is almost always my choice, because we can’t know what's going on inside a mass unless we extract cells from it for analysis; my approach is to perform fine need aspiration on all suspicious growths to determine what types of cells are involved and whether surgery is warranted
• My policy is to remove only cancerous growths and those that are compromising a pet’s mobility or quality of life
• There are steps you can take as a pet parent to help your dog avoid skin growths throughout life