Warning Signs

 

Dogs can sprout a variety of lumps, bumps, and skin growths, especially as they get older. Fortunately, most are merely unsightly or messy rather than harmful. Here is a guide to some typical skin growths in dogs. No growth can be definitively diagnosed by its appearance alone, however, so point out such lumps and bumps to your veterinarian during your dogs annual physical exam, and be sure to consult your vet if your dog has a lump that grows rapidly, oozes and doesn’t heal, or otherwise bothers you or your dog.

 

Dogs can get “clogged pores” just like people do, and these may form pimples or blackheads. Facial acne in dogs usually responds well to frequent cleaning with a benzoyl peroxide cleanser. Pimples or blackheads elsewhere can be a symptom of a bacterial skin infection or seborrhea.

 

These lumps are oil producing (sebaceous) glands that have become blocked and enlarged, ranging from mosquito-bite-sized to an inch or two in diameter. They contain a whitish, greasy, paste like combination of oil, bacteria, and skin cells. Sebaceous cysts will sometimes open and ooze their contents on their own, or the material can be squeezed out, but usually they will simply fill up again over time. If a sebaceous cyst is particularly messy or in an area where it constantly becomes irritated, it can be surgically removed.

 

Although these are commonly referred to as “fatty tumors,” they are benign, not malignant, and so are not “tumors” in the cancer sense. Rather they are lumpy accumulations of fat-sort of the canine equivalent of cellulite. They usually appear in middle-age dogs and older dogs and can range for 1 inch to 8 inches or more in diameter, growing slowly over months to years. If your dog has lipomas, your vet should (1) measure them during your dog’s yearly physical exam and note their location and size on your dogs medical chart; and (2) when each new lipoma appears and if one enlarges rapidly, do a fine needle aspirate (FNA) of the lump. An FNA takes only a few seconds, can be done during a regular exam, and is virtually painless. The vet inserts a needle into the lump and extracts a drop of its contents to examine under a microscope. If the contents are just fat, you can be reasonably certain the lump is lipoma. If the contents include other types of cells, then the lump may not be lipoma, and it would be prudent to remove it surgically and have it checked by a pathologist to make sure its not cancer. Lipomas that are large enough to make a dog uncomfortable or interfere with his ability to walk should also be removed.

 

Large, heavy dogs often develop thick, dark, hairless calluses on the parts of their bodies that contact hard surfaces when they lie down, such as their elbows, hocks, or even over the breast bone. Sometimes these calluses crack and bleed or become infected. They can be treated by providing thickly padded areas for resting, using warm compresses or soaks two or three times a day; applying petroleum jelly, lanolin, or another softening and soothing agent (make sure its safe to eat if the dog can reach the area and lick it off); and oral antibiotics if the area is infected.

 

Hives are fluid-filled blister like swellings that crop up in groups when a dog has been exposed to something she is hypersensitive to, such as a spider bite, bee sting, or rarely, a medication vaccine. They can range from about 1/4 inch to 2 inches or more in diameter. Facial swelling-in which the dog’s face becomes puffy-is a similar hypersensitivity reaction. If your dog suddenly sprouts hives, give her the antihistamine Benadryl (diphenhydramine) at a dose of 1 mg per pound of body weight (that’s 10 mg for 10 lb dog, 25 mg for 25 lb dog, and so on). If she’s very itchy or the hives are still spreading one hour later call your vet. If your dog has a swollen or puffy face, call your vet or a vet emergency clinic immediately, because in severe cases the wind pipe may swell shut, leaving the dog unable to breath and in need of emergency care.

 

Dog’s can get a variety of skin cancers, including melanomas, mast-cell tumors, and squamous cell carcinomas.  Skin cancer may itch, hurt, or not bother the dog at all. Always point out new skin growths to you vet during your dog’s annual physical exam, and have your vet check out sores that take ore then 10 days to heal, lumps that grow rapidly or swell and shrink, or any other skin growth that’s worrisome to you or your dog.