Discovering a lump on your dog is a scary business. Fortunately, not all lumps are tumors.
It is possible that what looks and feels like a lump is a swelling instead. Potential causes include immune reactions or infections which can be due to:
- insect bites and stings
- injuries
- foreign bodies
The essential step in dealing with a lump is identification—that is what determines treatment options.
Yuki’s story
Yuki was a lovely, happy young Boxer. She enjoyed every day of her life. Recently, though, she hit an unlucky streak when it came to her health.
A couple of months prior, Yuki suffered severe gastroenteritis and needed hospitalization. She recovered only to come up with a new challenge—a large, firm, painful swelling on her torso. It already started the size of a golf ball but quickly grew to the size of a melon. When anybody touched it, Yuki flinched.
At the veterinarian
Her distraught mom took Yuki to a veterinarian. In order to treat Yuki, the veterinarian had to figure out what the lump was.
X-rays showed the structure and precise location of it. The massive lump developed directly under the skin and didn’t affect any bones or organs. The veterinarian took a biopsy to identify what cells the lump contained to rule out cancer.
He was covering all bases even though he suspected an infection or a foreign body such as a splinter or a grass awn. While that is much better news than cancer, these things are hard to find.
Yuki’s treatment
While they were waiting for biopsy results, Yuki received a prescription for antibiotics to address the suspected infection.
When the biopsy results came, they confirmed the preliminary diagnosis. Meanwhile, the antibiotics shrunk the lump to its original golf-ball size. As soon as Yuki finished the treatment, though, the lump quickly expanded again.
Scheduling MRI scan
It must have been a foreign body wrecking all the havoc. Finding such thing, though, can be like looking for a needle in a haystack—the veterinarian scheduled Yuki for an MRI scan, hoping to find it. Once located, he could remove it without additional risk of damaging surrounding tissues.
The problem takes care of itself
While Yuki was waiting for her MRI appointment, her swelling suddenly burst spilling out its content and—a wood splinter.
Both health issues were connected
You would think that GI upset and the swelling on Yuki’s side couldn’t possibly have one underlying cause. Yet, they did.
Yuki’s stomach got upset after she chewed up wicker basked. A piece of the wicker punched through Yuki’s stomach wall and traveled to the surface. Yuki’s body was rejecting the foreign object, which caused all the swelling. And, in Yuki’s case, her body indeed succeeded purging the culprit.
Yuki was very lucky.
Source story:
Yuki the 1-year-old Boxer Developed a Swelling
Related articles:
What Is That Bump on My Dog: Canine Lumps, Bumps, and Growths
Further reading:
Lumps and Bumps on Dogs