Is this a cyst?

[Debbie and Toby]

Toby sometimes gets these small white pimply bumps which we have been told are normal, and they usually go away on their own. This one started out the same, but got bigger. This is on his right hip. Went to the vet a couple weeks ago and they did an aspiration, said they didn't get much fluid out but sent a sample to the lab and to onocology. Nothing...and no cancer cells detected. The bump got bigger. They said it looks like a "warty growth". Said to keep an eye on it. Took him in again yesterday as he was biting at it drawing blood. They said the option would be to treat it with meds and see if it goes away or put him under anesthesia and remove it. They are hesitant  to put him under unless absolutely necessary as he has been having a lot of seizures lately and is on additional seizure meds right now. There is a hole in the middle and does not have any drainage. Yesterday they shaved the hair around it and cleaned it, and put an ointment on it. Looks a tad bit better today but still no difference in size. Is this a cyst? Has anybody here seen anything like this? I am really concerned, we have another appointment next week.

UPDATE: Toby is scheduled for "surgery" on January 31 to have the growth removed. It has grown quite a bit since this picture,  has gotten much wider and deeper, so they are not comfortable doing this with just a "local" anesthesia. They are also sending the "growth" out for analysis. Please keep him in your prayers.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

My girl has this one. At first i thought it was just a wart but it's slowly getting bigger and more red (previously it was flesh tone)? When my baby girl tore off her dew claw recently i asked about it and the vet said it was a cyst, to watch it and next procedure she had they will remove it. Since I don't foresee any health issues where they will need to put her under we may have to address it on its own. I figured i keep a photo journey of it. My lady girl had them along with fatty tumors and we never had to do anything about them, but like you I'm more aware and concerned this time. Best of luck.

[Debbie and Toby]

The smaller one's Toby had looked more like the one in your picture. But this one on Toby has a hole down through the middle...maybe that means it's already drained? I don't know, but I am definitely keeping an eye on it....I will keep you posted

[Diane and Alma]

Alma (Toby's sibling from the same parents but different litters) also gets these.  She contacted papilloma virus at the dog park when she was a puppy.  Someone posted a note on the dog park gate after we had been there saying their dog had it and was sorry if they exposed other dogs to it.  Sure enough, Alma soon had a white growth on her eyelid that had to be removed due to it's position near her eye.  She has since had them on her mouth.  I worry about this because it is so contagious and we board her for trips.  A few months ago, she had a growth like the one on Toby on her torso.  I brought her to the vet and he aspirated it, took a sample, and looked under a microscope for anything unusual.  He said to just watch it.  It went away in a few weeks.  Alma never seemed to be bothered by it.  She has since had a second one that went away.  Not sure if the papilloma virus is related to this.  

Hope Toby gets better.  It is worrisome that he is biting at it.  Glad that you are keeping up with the vet.

[Debbie and Toby]

They said nothing abnormal under the microscope, or from onocology, so that is good. It just looks terribly sore because he has been biting at it. I will mention the papilloma virus to our vet when we see them again next week. I sure hope it goes away soon!  They only want to remove it as a last resort, if he becomes uncomfortable with it and won't leave it alone. So we will see. Will keep you posted.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack has had several warty looking bumps that resemble this, and his have been removed under local anesthetic. All turned out to me benign warts or cysts. You might try asking your vet about removing it under local inside of general anesthetic. 

[Debbie and Toby]

Thanks, Karen. I will definitely ask about this when we go next week. It just looks so sore and I am afraid if he keeps biting at it, it will only get worse. How did you keep Jack from leaving the area alone after they removed it? Toby does not tolerate a cone and knows how to get one off. He is a very strong minded dog and we also had the cone problem after his surgery.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Fortunately, JD's have been located in places he can't get at very easily, and I also sometimes use topical sprays to prevent itching as the incisions heal. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sometimes, it's a good idea to remove a growth that keeps getting irritated and/or bleeding even when you know it's benign. That's been the case with Jack's. 

[Debbie and Toby]

Thanks. I will discuss this with the vet. He had been chewing on it which is causing it to bleed. I really don't want it to get any worse or get infected so unless I see improvement over the weekend I will discuss removal. Do they stitch this up after removal?  Since they cleaned it and put medicated ointment on it yesterday he has been leaving it alone today, but I will see what happens the next couple days with it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just a couple of dissolving stitches. Easy peasy. 

So much can be done with local anesthetic these days. Jack even had a hemangiosarcoma (cancerous growth) removed from his third eyelid under local anesthetic. Of course, that was done by a canine eye specialist, but even so, it shows you that general anesthetic really shouldn't be necessary for a small growth. 

[Debbie and Toby]

I will ask the vet, maybe they did mean a local, but they said as a last resort with anesthesia because of his seizure patterns right now, I will find out. That would definitely make more sense to do this with just a local. I will just have to find a way to keep him from biting stitches out.  Were they able to remove all the cancer from the eyelid? Aww, that had to be a big relief for Jack to have that awful growth removed from his eyelid. (((HUGS)))

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's the strangest thing; hemangiomasarcomas are a death sentence anywhere else in the body other than the eye or the ear. This was on his third eyelid, and the vet found it during a routine yearly exam; it never bothered him, before or after. All I had to do was put drops in his eye twice a day for 5 days. They removed the whole thing, and in that location, they don;t spread, although it could come back. JD hasn't been lucky with his health, but this was one time that he really was!