Readers Respond: Monitoring Lumps and Bumps in Pets - watch without worry

After seeing your vet, if your vet says to "watch the lump" for growth, what is the best way without worrying daily?

I have shared a lump-monitoring tip here. Do you have any tips for monitoring lumps?

Please share your tips and experiences with pet lumps - did you monitor or go to surgery? Share your lump info

tira's bump

My dog Rira is a beauty but about a year ago (she is 10 human years now), she grew a skin bump on her head. The vet said don't worry but I do. She scratches it some time most time. It's same size - about half of a dime - anyway I clean it peroxide and put bacitracin on it. Vet says don't worry. I'd like to see pictures similar to hers to know what it is and then do something before I regret it.

—Guest Tira

Mast Cell Tumor on Pug

Our darling 4 year old pug had a mast cell tumor removed two weeks ago, and we had another strage bump removed last week. The first tumor was a Grade 1, with clear margins. We have not gotten the result of the second tumor. He has had a terrible allergic reaction to the surgeries, and is red, with hives and itching after this ordeal. Has anyone experienced hives, redness and itching after surgery or mast cell removal?

—Guest Judy

The Lump!

I felt the tiny lump under Madison's arm and my heart sank. Our 7-year old dachshund is our life! Scared to death, we took him to the vet. A simple needle aspiration confirmed what his doctor thought: LIPOMA (benign fatty tumor). Never were we so happy to hear that someone had fat on their body! Do not fear, go/run to the vet and see what every lump is. If you take the "wait and see" route, the worrying will killya!

—Guest Terry Kline

Lump on Rear Interior Pastern

I discovered one of those red bumps on my Cocker's rear leg (at about what we would call the "ankle" point). I dismissed it as one of those "Cocker" cysts or growths (which usually dry up and go away). It didn't do much for a couple of years and then it looked like it had grown to about the size of a quarter. Then I took her to the vet, and he said that it was in a nasty spot that wouldn't have enough skin to suture close. There was a vet (located quite a distance away) who might be able to "chip away" at it with a laser but she would have to be put out every time. She was already 14 and I decided not to pursure this, but 1 year later it had grown to 2 toonies size and she licked it every chance she got (even with a collar), which irritated it and it stunk. I would clean it daily but it wouldn't matter. Eventually she gave up eating and leaked urine at night and at 15 I had to put her to sleep. I grieve for her and wish I had had that growth removed when I first noticed it.

—spiritwest

It Started With A Lump On His Chest

When my pomeranian named People (we named him People because he was all the people we needed) developed a lump on his chest the vet decided to remove it and discovered it was just a "fatty" mass. On January 13, 2009 he suffered a series of seizures, with the last one taking his life at 1:30 p.m. While his deceased body lay on the examination table, the vet showed us numerous lumps that lay under his thick fur. He had several on his neck and a golfball size tumor in his stomach that we never knew he had. He was always a lean, firm bodied boy so I assumed it was just the way he was built. I play his lifetime with us in my head over and over again, and I can't help but blame myself for not being more diligent in giving him examinations at home. He was my first true love and as I sit here putting this experience in print and looking at his urn, I remember that he was healthy at his last check up...so these things can happen so unexpectedly. Cherish your time with your pets every day.

—Guest Mercedes Weston

Mast Cell Tumor on Nose

My 8 y/o Golden Retriever developed what looked like a simple pimple on his nose. It grew. I had it removed, only to find it was MCT Grade II. My vet achieved clean margins, and I felt good about that. He was happy and healthy. Three months later it metastasized to his neck lymph node. He had surgery, and was placed on Leukeran, a low-dose chemo. My poor baby began vomiting one day 4 months later. I brought him to the Vet hospital to control the vomiting, only to find that he was in shock and ventricular tachycardia. Despite heroic measures, I had to give permission to the wonderful vets to let him go. From something so simple and innocent looking came a devastating journey for myself and Max. I had never heard of mast cell tumor, though I have had many dogs. I am still devastated by it and the loss of my beautiful Golden. It's not something I will get over for a very long time.

—Guest Lee Abramo