My dog's head lump split open and is draining. What should I do?

I would definitely have Dexter seen by a vet tomorrow and not wait until May. This lump could be a cyst, an abscess, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. The vet can examine and diagnose the lump, and then can discuss treatment options with you.

This lump needs to be checked and analysed as there are many conditions and types of tumors that could look like that. take her to the vet, they will perform a fine needle aspiration on the growth and send it to the lab for analysis. when the result comes, the vet will advise what needs to be done according to the diagnosis.

This lump needs to be checked and analysed as there are many conditions and types of tumors that could look like that. take Rudy to the vet, they will perform a fine needle aspiration on the growth and send it to the lab for analysis. when the result comes, the vet will advise what needs to be done according to the diagnosis.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dexter. I agree, that is concerning that this hard lump is now bleeding, and this lump could be something serious. It could be a hemangiosarcoma (malignant) or hermangioma (benign), which are tumors that develop from blood vessels and look like a blood blister. Given his age, there is a chance it could be another type of malignant tumor, like a mast cell tumor, but it could also be benign. Unfortunately without seeing him in person, I cannot say for certain. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

This is a tumor. It's hard for me to tell the location on the dog from the photo. If it's growing quickly then it's more likely malignant and could spread to other parts of the body. If it's been there a long time then it's more likely benign. At the base it looks inflamed and may open up and drain. That would be messy and make it more likely to get a bad infection. If your dog is healthy even at age 13 I would have this removed, and they can biopsy it to determine the type of tumor. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Dexter.

These 2 lumps need to be checked and analysed as there are many conditions and types of tumors that could look like that. take Olive to the vet, they will perform a fine needle aspiration on the growths and send it to the lab for analysis. when the result comes, the vet will advise what needs to be done according to the diagnosis.