Dear Dr. Lisa,
About 2 weeks ago this lump popped up on my dog our Sampson’s face. It doesn’t bother him at all but it seems to be getting bigger. I think it bothers me more than him. Should I get it checked out or just keep an eye on it?
Lumpy lab mom
Dear Lumpy Lab mom,
Growths of any kind should always be checked out by your veterinarian. This lump could be a bacterial issue, it could be a benign skin growth, or it could be a malignant skin tumor. Your veterinarian will likely take some cells from the mass and look at the cells under the microscope or send the sample to the lab for evaluation. With masses it is better safe than sorry. Even tumors that look and feel fatty can be something more problematic. Taking an aspirate is the only way to know how to proceed with a mass.
The fact that this growth is on the face makes it more important to get it evaluated. If the veterinarian feels that this mass is suspicious he or she will want to make sure to remove the whole mass and get extra tissue around it to ensure that the mass comes off with clean margins (tissue free of the bad cells). On the face there isnt a lot of extra tissue so definitely get it checked out before it grows bigger.
Good luck and please send us an update. Thanks for sharing the photo as well.
Have a great week.
Lisa Aumiller, DVM