Strange Growth On Tiny's Skin?

[GreytNut]

I was giving the hounds baths today when I noticed something round, swollen and purplish-black right behind Tiny's left elbow, not far from his sternum. I wouldn't have noticed it at all if he hadn't been wet so that it stuck out of his fur. At first I thought it was a tick. Coming from an area where ticks aren't all that prevalent, I admit to not having seen very many engorged ones and am not 100% sure of what they look like after they've been in a dog for a while. I grabbed some tweezers and tried to pull the sucker out. It didn't come, and Tiny was thoroughly unimpressed with my attempts to de-tick him. I couldn't see any legs, just a round bulbous mass. I gave up because I didn't want to hurt him.

 

If this was really a tick, there would be visible legs and it would yield to the pull of tweezers, yes? Could it be that this is some kind of growth, such as a hematoma?

 

Edited April 24, 2010 by GreytNut

[Tracey]

I had to pull a few ticks off Reggie and Rufus when they came home last December. I used tweezers and once you got a grip on the thing you could usually start to lift it away from the skin a bit pretty easily. It was pretty easy to tell for sure that it was a tick. My guess, based on my experience, is it's something else. My instinct would be a vet visit, but maybe someone else knows what it is and can say for sure if that's necessary or not.

[JohnF]

It's not possible to say what it is exactly without an exam. I'm not vet. gualified (only Zoology)but if it isn't a tick - and it isn't obvious to me from the photo that it is - then it may be a form of skin cancer of which there are many with a wide range of treatment options and outcomes. So the sooner checked and hopefully ruled out the better. Well done for noticing it too,

Please see the link for detailed info on the various kinds.

http://www.caninecancer.com/skincancer.html

[Guest kydie]

I vote no tick, as I removed a lot of them, I think a vet vist maybe a good idea Keep us updated

[sweetdogs]

All the engorged ticks I've removed have been greyish in color. So I vote for

[PatricksMom]

Patrick had something that looked like that, it turned out to be nothing. But I would definitly get a vet check to figure out what you're dealing with.

[Guest K9Cookies]

Meana has a small spot like that on her back leg. We thought it was a "blood blister" left over from the IV during her spay surgery. Our vet checked it out and wasn't worried. It's still there, but hasn't changed in almost a year. We'll have it checked out again at her annual exam.

 

Hope it's nothing.

[Batmom]

*Most* things that look like that are plain old blood blisters or benign hemangiomas.

 

Ticks have legs. Sometimes hard to see, but they've always got 'em. No legs, no tick.

[Guest bigbrindlebunny]

Probably a blood blister.

 

The way this newbie found out about them was that I tried to take it off like a tick. I put some alcohol on it to knock the critter out and release the legs, then pulled with a tweezer. No tick, it sort of went to pieces in the tweezers, and he bled some from the hole it left behind. Then I worried I ripped off a nipple (it was in that region). I counted and all nipples were accounted for so I showed the Vet. He said not to worry. Pete has had a few since then, they show up and go away. But of course, talk to your own Vet too.

[DustysMom]

Dusty had a lot of benign hemangiomas on his chest and belly that looked like that (from what I remember).

[ivon]

I saw this earlier and had some superior thoughts, but wisely kept them to myself......then Spud comes back in from a short trip in the yard, and i noticed a tick on his chest, when I pulled it off blood splattered everywhere, ewwww. Now I check the rest of him and DS finds another one on his leg, I tried, and tried, and it won't come off. Yep. Blood blister. Not feeling so superior now.

[turbotaina]

Looks like a blood blister. Turbo had one on his neck that we at first thought was a tick. It did rupture, and bled a good bit. Then it reformed and was like a continuous scab. I contacted my vet about it and we decided to do a wait and see. About a week later, I was able to clean off the remaining scab, and it has not recurred

 

That being said, if it changes at all, becomes angry looking or changes in size, I'd get to a vet.

 

Probably a blood blister.

 

The way this newbie found out about them was that I tried to take it off like a tick. I put some alcohol on it to knock the critter out and release the legs, then pulled with a tweezer. No tick, it sort of went to pieces in the tweezers, and he bled some from the hole it left behind. Then I worried I ripped off a nipple (it was in that region). I counted and all nipples were accounted for so I showed the Vet. He said not to worry. Pete has had a few since then, they show up and go away. But of course, talk to your own Vet too.

 

Carol, I nearly took one of Turbo's nipples off once, thinking it was a tick

[Maddiesmom]

Maddie and I were visiting Mom and Dad in CT 2 years ago, when I noticed what I thought was a tick. It was not as it would not come off (it is on her side) and when we got back to NC, Maddie was fidgeting with it sothat there was blood around it that made it look like a tick again. The vet tech also thought it was a tick and I advised her it was not. We had it checked and the it was cleaned up and biopsyed (sp?) and come to find out it is a cyst, she still has it but now it is more skin color then darker color. It does not bother her and I keep an eye on it.

[Guest bluefawn]

Penny has 3 raised, discolored "things" on her - one on her chest, one on her back, and one on her ear. The vet looked at them and said they are not cancer. She thinks they are "warts". They are not getting any larger. They are pinkish-gray and have been there for a long time, although the one on her back is a teeny big larger than it was last year. I would definitely keep an eye on that. One of my friends whose grey had OS started getting little spots on him that looked like blood blisters, although they were not raised and were smaller than the one you show in your picture. It looks like a blood blister to me, too.

[GreytNut]

Tiny went to the vet today and they aspirated the "thing." It is melanoma. They think as long as it's removed within a few months with clean margins it should be OK and progress no further. Left to its own devices, it will likely metastasize and do very bad things. He also has some kind of weird infection in his sheath that keeps recurring, and a possible low-grade liver infection (!) so we went home with a small pharmacy in a bag.

 

So we have a little bit of time to come up with the money, as we're going to have a dental done at the same time with likely extractions and it's going to be very $$$.

 

I didn't help matters by spontaneously maxing out our Care Credit card. We were checking out when a couple came in with a crying Pekingese that had been in labor since 4 am. They didn't qualify for Care Credit and every vet in town (including this one) turned them away because they won't make payment arrangements. They actually told the couple to take their dog home. That dog was going to die, and so were her pups if they weren't already dead. So I told them to charge it to my Care Credit. The courteous thing to do, perhaps, but it wasn't financially a very smart move. Their bill was NOT small. Oops.

[Batmom]

Well, that bites on all counts.

 

I'm not an advocate of waiting on teeth that need to go, but I would think his melanoma could be done under a local, which would be cheaper.

 

I hope the pom did well and that her people repay you promptly.

 

Hugs and best luck.

[HopeForHounds]

Kristen what a wonderful caring thing to do. That they would be sent home like that makes me so sad.

 

Keep a real close eye on that and get it off when you can. Peanut had a hemangioma removed about 6 months ago on her toe. I posted about a weird lump on her tummy that later the stand in vet thought was a puncture wound. I spent dollars on antibiotics, only to still have a small black lump once it healed. My suspicion is it is another benign hemangioma, but with what I know about cancer it is being removed next time she goes in.

 

ETA that Jey is right, the melanoma should be able to be removed with a local. Unless it is deeper under the skin and then it couldn't be.

Edited April 24, 2010 by foxysmom

[MerlinsMum]

Sorry to hear this, Kristen I hope the procedure goes smoothly -- I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the cleanest margins in the world :goodluck

 

You did a really wonderful and compassionate thing by helping out that Pekingese dog.

[Guest greytbookert]

Oh Kristen! what a thoughtful and caring thing to do for those people!

 

I hope all goes well with Tiny!

[sweetdogs]

Sorry to hear it's not nothing, but glad it's very treatable.

 

I too am very sad about the peke & all the vets (including yours). That would give me pause for sure.

 

However, you are stellar! I hope her & pups will be OK & that they name one after you. I have a soft spot for peke's - my best friend in grammar school had a little beauty named Susie. I would have done the same thing. Karma & all that....

[GreytNut]

The vet wants to take out not only the growth but a sizable chunk of surrounding tissue just to be sure that she gets every bit of cancerous tissue, so it isn't something that could be done locally. If we need to we'll do the growth first and then come back for the dental, but at his age I very much hesitate to put him under twice if we can avoid it. For his part, Tiny thoroughly enjoyed his vet visit. The dork loves going to the vet... his tail wags the entire time he's there and he insists on leaning on all the doctors and techs, lapping up the attention while Raven tries to disappear behind him.

 

I thought DH was going to hit the ceiling when I told him I ran up our Care Credit when we've been trying to pay off all our bills, but he approved. Not sure how the Pekingese is doing, but will call tomorrow to find out. She mated with a Beagle. Those are going to be some godawful ugly puppies. I was upset because it was a preventable situation, but it didn't seem like an appropriate time to give a lecture on the virtues of spaying one's pet. I suspect she was unspayed due to financial considerations. Didn't expect repayment, but the guy followed me out to the car and insisted on getting contact info so he could pay us back. They really don't appear to have two nickels to rub together, so I'm not holding my breath, but maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised.

[CaliforniaGreys]

I don't think it can be done with a local, because they need to get clean margins and I can't remember exactly how much around.

 

This is what I thought it was with Wayne but ended up being a Plasmacytoma.I remember my vet telling me at the time if it came back melanoma, if it's early and they get clean margins, it'll be fine.

 

Tiny will be fine!! Because nothing else is acceptable

 

I hope you get paid back

Edited April 25, 2010 by cbudshome

[PatricksMom]

I'm sorry to hear the news, but glad you're vet is so upbeat.

 

Will your vet set up a payment plan--sounds like you're like the rest of us and are a very good customer.

[grey14me]

Kristen, I think I would talk to the vet about a local to get the melanoma...especially since Tiny seems to do so well at the vet's office. My guess is the general anesthesia would be more for convenience for the vet (not having to worry about a moving animal). I mean, they do locals to take melanomas from humans all the time...that's standard procedure. Maybe you could volunteer to help hold him during the surgery?

[Guest kydie]

I am so glad you got it checked out! Please tell us how the other pup made out too We greyhound people are such suckers aren't we