Common Types of Lumps and Bumps

Skin masses generally fall into two categories: benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous).

Benign Masses (Generally Harmless)

• Lipomas: These are very common, especially in older, middle-aged dogs. They are soft, moveable, completely harmless pockets of fat located just beneath the skin.
• Cysts: Similar to human sebaceous cysts, these are blocked oil glands that can fill with a cheesy or oily material. They can sometimes rupture or get irritated, but they are not cancerous.
• Skin Tags and Warts: Common in aging pets, these small growths usually cause no issues unless they are located where a collar rubs or your pet chews them.
• Abscesses: These are painful, swollen pockets of infection (pus) that usually form after a bite wound or scratch, very frequently seen in outdoor cats.

Malignant Masses (Require Treatment)

• Mast Cell Tumors (MCTs): Often called "the great imitators," these cancerous tumors can look and feel exactly like a harmless bug bite, wart, or lipoma. They are common in dogs and require surgical removal.
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas: These tumors arise from connective tissues. They are typically firm, fixed firmly to the underlying tissue, and grow gradually.
• Squamous Cell Carcinomas: Often appearing as crusty, open sores that don't heal, these are frequently found on sun-exposed, light-skinned areas of white cats (like the tips of the ears or nose).

When Is a Lump an Emergency?

While most lumps can wait for a scheduled vet appointment during regular business hours, you should look for specific warning signs. Keep a close eye on the growth and call your vet promptly if you notice:

• Rapid growth: The lump noticeably changes size over a few days or weeks.
• Changes in texture or color: It becomes hard, irregular, red, purple, or ulcerated.
• Oozing or bleeding: The mass begins discharging fluid or pus.
• Signs of pain: Your pet flinches, cries, or snaps when you touch the area.
• Systemic signs: The appearance of the lump is accompanied by lethargy, a loss of appetite, or vomiting.

How Vets Solve the Mystery

It is worth repeating: even the most experienced veterinarian cannot diagnose a lump by sight or touch alone. To find out exactly what a mass is, your vet will recommend one of the following diagnostic steps:

1. Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA): This is a quick, minimally invasive test usually done right in the exam room without sedation. Your vet inserts a tiny needle into the lump to collect cells, places them on a glass slide, and examines them under a microscope (or sends them to a veterinary pathologist).
2. Biopsy: If the FNA results are unclear, your vet may remove a small piece of the lump (or the entire mass) under sedation or anesthesia. This sample provides a definitive diagnosis by looking at the tissue structure.

What You Can Do at Home

As a pet parent, you are the first line of defense. You can actively manage your pet's skin health by practicing these simple steps:

• Do a Monthly "Lump Check": Once a month, give your pet a thorough, deliberate massage from nose to tail. Check their belly, underarms, legs, and between their toes.

• Keep a Growth Diary: If you find a small bump, write down exactly where it is located, measure it with a ruler, and take a clear photo next to a household object (like a coin) for size reference. This helps you track if it is growing.

The Bottom Line: Never guess when it comes to your pet's skin. If you find a new lump or bump, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to get definitive answers and true peace of mind.

Many of our beloved pets don’t go to the veterinarian for their recommended annual visit, forgoing the benefits of preventive medicine. The reason? Stress—from wrangling your cat into a carrier, from trying to keep your dog from vomiting in your new car, from sitting next to barking dogs and yowling cats in a packed waiting room, and from watching your precious pup quake or feline friend lash out in fear. It’s no wonder so many pets skip their veterinary visits.

Fortunately for our pet’s physical and mental health—and ours—there is a shift toward low-stress veterinary care. Not only does stress negatively affect pets and create psychological trauma, it also can be so severe that test results are skewed and the immune system is weakened. If your pet has experienced a lifetime of anxiety, reversing her chain of reactions during her trip to the vet can be challenging. Follow our seven steps to calm fears and turn your furry friend into a pet who loves the vet.

Practice handling your pet

Two of the biggest challenges veterinary professionals face are a pet’s feet and ears. Many pets do not approve of these body parts being manipulated, and often they strongly object to being handled by a stranger. However, even a pet adopted later in life can be conditioned to accept handling, grooming, and restraint. Begin by pairing potentially unpleasant handling with delicious, high-value treats. Train your dog to give you her paw for nail trims, or have your cat or dog focus on a whipped-cream cone while you clean her ears. Creating a positive association with the handling of these two tricky areas vastly will increase your pet’s quality of life by reducing the struggle and fear commonly associated with nail trims and ear cleanings. Checking these areas is a critical component of preventive care because routine cleanings allow a peek inside your pet’s ears to catch an infection before it becomes painfully severe, while frequent nail trims keep the blood vessel inside each nail trimmed back, avoiding painful cutting. Distraction with high-value treats or toys, praise, and petting all work well at keeping your pet occupied during potentially unpleasant tasks, but conditioning her to realize good things come from handling goes a long way to reducing fear and anxiety.

Schedule appointments according to your pet’s fears

When scheduling your anxious pet’s appointment, ask for the earliest time slot. Routine appointments can run long, emergencies are squeezed in, and sometimes you and your stressed pet end up waiting in a packed waiting room before being shown to a quiet exam room. The earliest time slot allows you to avoid the chaos of a jam-packed waiting room on a Friday evening. If this is not feasible, call the hospital when you arrive and ask the client care representative if you can wait with your pet in the car until an exam room is open. 

The carrier is a cat’s friend, not foe

Most cats only see the carrier come out when it’s time to visit the vet. This negative association ensures the carrier is seen as a harbinger of doom, leading to a major struggle to get your cat inside scratch-free. To avoid this association, leave the carrier out at all times, treating it as the deliverer of delicious snacks instead. Routinely throw a few high-value kitty treats into the carrier, leaving the door propped open. Your cat will sniff out the goodies and learn to associate good things with the box of doom. Line the carrier with a cozy blanket spritzed with Feliway spray and add a soft toy or two to make your cat feel comfortable and secure while traveling.

Drop by with your pet for “happy visits”

Does your pet only visit the vet for vaccinations or when she’s sick? If so, it’s no wonder she associates a trip to the clinic with being poked and prodded by strangers. Stop by for a few happy, treat-filled visits with no needles. Load up on your pet’s favorite snacks and let the veterinary team offer them to your pet. Stop by for massages, belly rubs, and special treats. Soon your furry friend will be excited to visit the veterinarian.

Ever since we converted the room we used for the litter boxes into a usable living area, Billie, our cat, has been soiling outside of his litterbox. His litterbox has been in the same place for years and he hasn’t had this issue before. 

Cats usually prefer quiet, private places for using the litterbox. Since this room has recently become an area that people utilize more, it is most likely louder and less private than Billie is accustomed. Billie may feel unsafe, like he is being cornered, unable to flee, or even blocked from using his litterbox. 

To help curb this undesired behavior, you'll first want to provide Billie with a litterbox at the location he is soiling now. This can help him start to use a litterbox again. Then, you will need to find a quieter location where Billie can use his litterbox in a more private, safe space. This can take some time, so please contact us for tips and recommendations.

For more information on house-soiling, please visit: Why Does My Cat Not Use His Litterbox?