The red, shinny, blood filled bump has become larger and my chocolate lab has been incessantly licking the bump. I will be seeing a veterinary tomorrow. What is it? and where did it come from?
Hello. The only way to know what a skin mass is, is to get a needle aspirate of it and look under the microscope for cells. If they are inflammatory cells (neutrophils), then a course of antibiotics should do the trick. If any abnormal cells, then I'd get it removed and biopsied.The big thing we want to rule out is mast cell tumor. This is a potentially malignant tumor of the skin. If caught early enough, surgical removal is curative. If left alone, it can metastasize to other parts of the body and be fatal. This is why early detection and treatment is important.I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
What would be the cost (range) to have the bump analyzed?....if the bump has been existing for several months - is it too late? I'll have the bump analyzed first thing.
An aspirate is usually only 20-40. The surgery for removal and biopsy may be more in the 100-300 range if that is needed. If it's been several months, it's not too late. The fact that it's changing size means it should be evaluated now.
Hi Joy,I'm just following up on our conversation about Cocoa. How is everything going?Dr. Gary