Is it normal for my dog to have bumps

Common Bumps On Dogs Skin And What They Mean

Finding a bump or lump on your dog can immediately send you spiraling trying to figure out what it is.

Is it just a fatty tumor? Is it cancerous? Do you need to worry?

We reached out to Dr. Corinne Wigfall, a veterinarian working with SpiritDog Training, and Dr. Justin Padgett, a veterinarian at Branchville Animal Hospital, to learn more about the different kinds of bumps on dogs' skin.

Common types of bumps on dogs skin

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different types of lumps and bumps that dogs can get. Some are harmless, while others might mean something more serious is going on.

And you may even notice these bumps on your dog more often as he gets older but that doesnt always mean theyre a cause for concern!

As they age, the lumps and bumps increase as their cellular defense mechanisms break down and tumors (benign and malignant) are free to proliferate more readily, Dr. Padgett told The Dodo.

Some of the most common bumps and lumps you may find on your dog include:

1. Lipomas

These are benign fatty tumors that are typically harmless. Lipomas are usually soft and squishy and will probably move around under your fingers. They usually arent tender to the touch, so your pup likely wont even notice it.

2. Sebaceous cysts

According to Dr. Padgett, sebaceous cysts are cauliflower-looking growths that are full of gray, pasty material (this material can be liquid or semi-liquid). They arent cancerous, but you should still get them checked out (and possibly removed) if theyre bothering your pup.

3. Papillomas

Papillomas are oral warts typically found in your dogs mouth as a result of having papilloma virus. They usually grow in clusters and can sometimes become cancerous, so theyre always good to get checked.

4. Skin tags

Skin tags are pretty common on dogs (especially older pups), so youve likely seen one or two before. They arent cancerous and are often long, thin pieces of skin that hang off of your pup.

5. Haematomas

These are blood blisters under the skin most commonly seen in the ear. These arent cancerous, but your pup will have to get surgery in order to remove it.

6. Abscesses

An abscess is a painful bump or swelling that can sometimes fill up with pus. They should always be checked out (and usually drained) by a vet so that they dont rupture on their own and cause an infection.

7. Cancerous masses

These are various types of bumps that can be cancerous, like mast cell tumors (cancer of the immune system), melanoma (skin cancer) and mammary carcinoma (breast cancer).

While it can be difficult to know just by looking which bumps are cancerous or not, if a growth seems to have appeared overnight, is larger than the typical bumps your dog has had, and is painful or hard, you should get it checked out ASAP.

Dogs can have multiple bumps or lumps on the skin, and each one can have a different origin, so [they] all need testing by a veterinarian at least once, Dr. Wigfall told The Dodo.

What causes lumps and bumps on your dogs skin?

Some lumps and bumps are caused by different cancers or skin conditions, and others can be caused by skin infections or even allergic reactions.

When it comes to skin infections, Dr. Wigfall said that those can present as lots of small, raised bumps on the skin, while allergic reactions can present as big welts all over the body that come and go within 72 hours.

When to take your dog to the vet

Any lump or bump should be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Owners should be concerned about growths that grow quickly, are firm to the touch, appear to contain a lot of inflammation and those that are bothersome/painful for the dog, Dr. Padgett said.

What your veterinarian finds will determine how the bump is treated, if at all. If it is a bacterial infection, antibiotics or surgery can resolve the issue, Dr. Wigfall said. If it is a non-cancerous growth, such as a wart [or] skin tag, you may choose to leave it alone and only surgically remove it if it is growing too big and causing a problem for the animals mobility or is getting caught and infected.

If the bump is determined to be cancerous, itll require surgical removal and be tested to figure out if any further treatment is needed.

So while many bumps on dogs' skin will be OK and nothing to worry about, its always a good idea to get them checked out by your vet just in case.

Skin lumps and bumps: what to look for on your dog

Its always nerve-wracking for pet owners to find lumps on their dogs. There are several different kinds of bumps that can show up on your dog, including:

Abrasion. Also known as minor cuts and scrapes, these injuries are common in dogs and can leave behind a small bump.

Allergic dermatitis (allergies). Dogs with dermatitis from allergies can experience symptoms in the form of rashes, red bumps, inflammation, and hair loss.

Alopecia. Some dogs experience moderate to severe itchiness when dealing with alopecia or hair loss, resulting in skin thats red, inflamed, thickened, oozing, or bleeding. They might also break out in papules (red spots), pustules (pimples), plaques, or hives.

Bug bites. Bites from insects like ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and ants all cause small red bumps to form on a dogs skin.

Fatty tissue inflammation. Clinically known as steatitis, the swelling of the fat cells just underneath the skin can cause bumps that may be painful for your dog.

Folliculitis. Inflammation of a dogs hair follicles causes red, raised bumps to form on the skin.

Hot spots. These spots are a type of skin infection that begins as a small itchy bump or patch of skin and spreads rapidly as dogs lick and scratch at them.

Interdigital cysts. These growths are found between your dogs toes, also called digits. Interdigital cysts are typically caused by underlying conditions such as allergies, atopic dermatitis, or obesity.

Mange. Demodectic and sarcoptic mange are easily treatable infections caused by mites. Symptoms show up in the form of redness, rashes, and lesions on the ear margins, as well as the chest, elbows, hocks, and tummy.

Ringworm. A fungal infection known to affect dogs with weakened immune systems, ringworm affects the hair, nails, and coat in the form of hair loss, scaliness, scabs, and crusty areas.

Skin tumors. While there are a few different types of skin tumors, studies showTrusted SourceNC State Veterinary MedicineVeterinary school.Go to source that about 60% to 80% of them are benign in dogs, but always work with your vet if you suspect a skin tumor on your dog.

Yeast dermatitis. More commonly known as a yeast infection, these infections are caused by Malassezia pachydermatis, a type of fungus. Its common in dogs and causes dry, itchy, flaky, red, smelly, hardened, or hyperpigmented skin. It can also show up on the paws or in the ears.

Warts. These small lesions are usually found on a dogs head and face and are caused by the canine papilloma virus (CPV). Some warts may need to be surgically removed if theyre inflamed, infected, or fail to regress over time.

If you notice a new bump on your dogs skin, its best to get it checked out by your vet.

Lumps on your dog that need vet care

A minor cut may not need immediate veterinary care, but some lumps and bumps are more serious. These types of lumps will need veterinary care:

Abscess. These pockets of pus appear suddenly as a painful swelling that may be either firm to the touch or squishy like a water balloon.

Sebaceous cyst. These mostly benign cysts appear as swelling under a dogs skin and are caused by clogged oil glands.

Lipoma. A lipoma is a common benign tumor of fat seen in older pets. While they can grow anywhere on a dogs body, they usually only become problematic when they grow in locations that cause discomfort or impact their ability to walk.

Histiocytoma. Another common type, this tumor mostly affects dogs younger than 6 years old. These tumors are sometimes removed because of ulceration, infection, bleeding, and the chance that they may proliferate, though most regress on their own after a few months. Thats why histiocytoma is technically considered a type of cancer, though cell overgrowth typically regresses once the stimulus is removed.

Soft tissue sarcoma. This term covers a wide range of tumors, including those that arise from a dogs connective, muscle, or nervous tissues. Theyre caused by the abnormal production of cells in an uncontrolled manner.

Mast cell tumor. Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are one of the most common types of skin cancers in dogs. They form when the mast cells in the connective tissue start rapidly dividing, and theyre often raised, reddened, and itchy.

Squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are tumors that form as a result of abnormal cell growth in the topmost layer of the skin, also known as the squamous layer. They usually appear as a single lesion in one location, but theres also a rare kind of SCC called multicentric squamous cell carcinoma (also known as Bowens disease or Bowenoid carcinoma) that presents as multiple lesions in multiple locations on the body.

My Dog Has A Lump On His Private Area (14 Possible Causes)

Key Takeaways

• Lumps on the two sides of a dogs private area are normal occurrences during erection and should subside soon after.
• Other types of lumps that may grow on a dogs private area include allergies and infections of hair follicles, that typically go away without any sort of treatment.
• If any lump on your dogs body wont go away after some time and seems to make your dog uncomfortable, it is best to seek veterinary treatment.

Help! My dog has a lump on his private area. I get this question a lot, and the quick answer is this: If its a male dog and the lump is on the sides of his penis during an erection, this is normal and would go away after. In other cases, lumps in the private area could range from pyoderma, skin tags, dermatitis, warts, etc.

Its always surprising to see any kind of change in your dogs body. When it comes to changes like bumps and lumps, though, that surprise can be quite unwelcome. It scares pet parents even more if those bumps and lumps occur around unusual places like your dogs private area.

To ease worries, I always remind pet parents that dogs bodies do change over time and that there are certain responses to environmental stimuli that can look quite a bit scarier than most dog owners might expect. If you are worried about a lump around your dogs genital area, let me go over some important information on what those lumps could represent and how you should react to their appearance.

The Most Common Types of Bumps

The great news about the bumps that tend to center around a dogs genital region is that the vast majority of them are either totally benign or that they can be treated rather simply. With that said, though, some bumps are potentially cancerous and your dogs prognosis will largely be determined by how quickly you get him or her to a vet.

Below are some common types of bumps that you can find near a dogs genitals. While the information below can help you to identify the bumps, its also a good idea to make sure that you get a second opinion from a professional so that your dog can get the help that he or she needs.

Pyoderma

This bacterial infection on the skin is one that tends to center around a dogs genitals. Generally a result of skin friction, it occurs because the bacteria from any foreign body that cause the condition has a great breeding ground in these areas. If your dog does have this condition, youll want to get a good antibiotic from your dogs vet as soon as you can.

Skin Tags

Skin tag on dogs can show up just about anywhere on its body. These growths can be found in any breed or with either gender, but they do tend to be more common as your dog gets older. Bigger breeds do tend to get skin tags more often, but theres really not any reason to worry about a dog of any size who starts developing skin tags.

Dermatitis

Dermatitis is generally a condition in a dog that can lead to bumps. This issue, which almost always includes skin inflammation, can occur if your dog has an allergic reaction to something in his or her environment and can be incredibly difficult to identify if youre not paying attention.

The best way to identify dermatitis is not by the bumps, but rather by your dogs actions. If he or she is repeatedly licking near his or her genitals, its not a bad idea to start thinking about the possibility of this condition. If your dog keeps itching or scratching in that area, or if there is foul odor, the problem can actually get worse.

The bad news is that dermatitis can get worse over time. If your dog itches too much, he or she can open the skin which will then, in turn, lead to the possibility of an infection. The best thing you can do is to catch the problem early so that your vet can prescribe the right medication for your dog.

Warts

Yes, warts happen to dogs too! If you have a young dog, you can generally feel pretty confident that a wart isnt something about which you need to worry. With that said, warts can be a sign that something is more significant is going on. If you have an older dog who suddenly develops a wart near his or her genitals, its generally a good idea to go see your vet as soon as you can to figure out if its there are health issues which you need to start worrying about.

Vaccine Reactions

Some dogs will get a small bump near their genitals if they have a reaction to a vaccine. This is typically a very minor issue, though, as the bumps will fade away on their own and the dogs will generally stay in good health. Still, its always good to monitor your dog if he or she has any kind of adverse reaction to any sort of treatment.

Folliculitis

If you notice small, red bumps around your dogs genitals, you might be looking at an infection of her hair follicles. Folliculitis is fairly benign if you can catch it early on, but infected follicles can become filled with pus over time. As such, youll want to get some antibiotics from your vet and commit to more regularbathingin order to help out your dog [1].

Sebaceous Cysts

Your dogs sebaceous glands get quite a workout. Just as humans can get acne from blocked sebaceous glands, so too can dog get bumps to form the same problem. Its very important that you dont squeeze these bumps, though, as most sebaceous cysts arent causing your dog pain and they will go away without your help. The only bad news is that uncleaned glands will tend to get blocked again, which will lead to more bumps.

Papules

These tiny bumps are can be caused by anything from allergies to infections of hair follicles, but they tend to go away without any kind of treatment. The best way to identify this kind of bump is by sizemost of them are going to be less than one centimeter in diameter.

Abscess

Abscesses can show up near your dogs genitals if he or she has an untreated wound, has been itching at the area, or simply has an injury that didnt quite heal. These bumps are actually sacs filled with pus and need to be drained by a professional, but the healing process is usually as simple as applying the right medications to the area and keeping it clean until your dog is fully healed.

Hives

Hives, also known as Urticaria, is a type of rash that can develop on your dogs skin. Does your dog have a rash on his private area? Usually occurring due to an allergic reaction, hives andrashescan occur if your dog eats the wrong kind of food or runs through the wrong kind of grass. The good news here is that hives do tend to go away on their own, but even those that dont can generally be treated with a simple antibiotic from your vet.Before administering anything, be sure you know the safe human medicines for dogs.

Lipomas

The bad news about lipomas is that they are unsightly and can be a little bit scary. The good news, though, is that theyre benign and just a regular part of dog aging. Especially common among older dogs and obese dogs, these bumps are simply an issue with which most dog owners will have to learn to live as their dogs age [2].

Mast Cell Tumors

Mast cell tumors are a type of skin cancer that looks like a series of bumps along a dogs body. Common near a dogs genitals, this common type of cancer has a reputation for staying benign most of the time and then quickly turning malignant. Certain breeds, includingpopular breeds like Beagles, are especially prone to this kind of cancer so make sure you know the warning signs.

Melanoma

Just as melanocytes can become cancerous in humans, so too can they become cancerous in dogs. The good news is that most types of melanomas in dogs are relatively benign and dont require much treatment. The bad news is that more aggressive melanomas do not have a good treatment prognosis for dogs.

Transmissible Venereal Tumors

This is a pretty rare cause for a lump in a dog, but its something that might actually put your dog in a significant degree of danger. This is in fact a sexually transmitted disease, a type of cancer that can be transmitted from one dog to another. As you might expect, its best to take any possibility of this incredibly seriously.

This type of tumor presents as a series of bumps on a female dogs genitals. If you notice this series of bumps, youll want to get your dog to a vet as soon as you can. Unfortunately, the treatment for this condition is neither easy nor quick, as it does include both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Fortunately, you can prevent future recurrences of this condition by getting your dog spayed.

What Else Could it Be?

There is one more issue that only concerns female dogs, but its one that you really should familiarize yourself with if your dog is notspayed. This condition, known as vaginal hyperplasia, impacts unspayed female dogs and presents as swollen tissue, or round swollen bumps, that protrudes from your dogs genitals. This will occur if your dog is in heat, so its a sight to which you might need to get used.

Important Things to Know About Bumps and Treatments On Male And Female Dogs

One of the first things pet parents need to keep in mind is that young dogs can, and often do, get pimples. Yes, as weird as it sounds, your dog might be dealing with the same kind of puberty problems as a human. While you might not necessarily think of these problems occurring near your dogs genitals, the truth is that the presence of a whitehead or blackhead is a tell-tale sign of this type of problem.

As an aside, you should definitely never pop a pimple on your dog. Not only will this be incredibly uncomfortable for the poor pooch, but you might cause further skin damage and more inflammation. If you do see a pimple, simply leave it alone to run its natural course.

Another thing to keep in mind is the possibility of swelling. While lumps were discussed above, swelling is a very different animal. If you have a female dog, you are going to see swelling in her genital region about once or twice a year when she goes into heat. If your dog has swelling when she is not in heat, though, you might have cause for a vet visit.

Again, its important to note that this is specifically an issue that concerns female dogs. Male dogs should not have any kind of growths, bumps, or swelling around his genitals, except those during sexual arousal which would immediately go away after the erection. If you do notice such a problem, its generally a good idea to get your dog to a vet so that he or she can rule out any of the several significant problems that bumps or swelling might represent.

What Should You Do Next?

The good news is that the odds of a bump on your dogs private area being something you really need to worry about are fairly low. With this said, its a very good idea to get your dog out to the vet just in case, as the rare problems that could occur can be serious if your dog does not receive the proper treatment.

If you do take your dog to the vet, make sure you have some pertinent information on hand. You should know where the bump is, when it first appeared, and if the bump has grown or changed in size/shape since you first noticed its appearance. The more you can tell your dogs vet, the better the chance youll have of being able to help him or her to correctly diagnose your dogs issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a cancerous lump look like on a dog?

Cancerous lumps on dogs are raised, often pink or grey, and usually surrounded by swelling or irritation. Its difficult, though, to determine if a lump is cancerous just by looking at it; after all, there are many other causes of lumps other than cancer that can lead to similar appearances. As such, its always a good idea to discuss any lumps that have suddenly appeared with your vet so that you can figure out whether or not you need to be worried about the changes in your dogs body.

Are cancer lumps on dogs hard or soft?

Cancerous lumps on dogs tend to be rather firm. This makes them easy to differentiate from a benign lipoma, as the latter type of lump tends to be squishy and easy to move around. With that said, not every hard lump on a dog is going to be cancer, and not every cancer is automatically going to be easy to identify by touch. If you are concerned that your dog might have cancer, its a good idea to get him or her to a medical professional as quickly as you can in order to get him or her properly diagnosed.