dog as lump on outside of rib cage

[bellaTX]

about 2 days ago i noticed my APBT had a lump i thought nothing of it i have 2 other dogs thought it was just from rough housing but i noticed today that the lump is now hard she dosent show signs that it hurts her but it may be her breed that just wont allow her to show weakness im not sure but my question is do american pitbulls have known illnesses like cancer? about 2 months ago she had a lymph gland infection and her neck was swollen very bad but got on antibiotic and is better now... does anyone happen to have an experience with this mysterious lump on her side?? shes going to the vet tomorrow but with the holidays i can only really go to find out what it is

[Dr Lee]

A few questions: How old is the dog? Did the mass develop suddenly? Has it grown? Gotten smaller? Changed in the way it feels? Have the lymph nodes been rechecked since the antibiotics?

[Frenchy]

2 of my dogs have them. One will be tested by my vet next month.

You'll have to ask your vet to do an aspiration test first , to see if it's a fatty lump. If it's not , a biopsy would be best.

Good luck !

[bellaTX]

well i noticed it yesterday shes my baby so i watch her like a mother that was the first time i saw it its still the same size of a walnut it was softer yesterday but today its hard shes 2 years old will be three in april it took her back for the lymph gland and everything checked out ok

[Dr Lee]

If she was playing rough, it could be a hematoma which is bleeding under the skin which would then form a clot. These will come up suddenly, get firm and slowing reduce in size. They do NOT: slowly grow or even grow at all. Treatment: warm compress and rest. If they do not resolve or if they change in any manner (grow, become irregular, have inflammation, pain, etc...) then they should be evaluated immediately.

Frenchy's recommendation is a good one. Fine needle aspiration with cytology is a great idea and always the best plan. If you cannot make it to a vet right away, then warm compress and monitor. If it hasn't gone away in 2 weeks or if it grows or changed - then you need to make a veterinarian appointment.

[Goldens4Ever]

Ironic you brought this up in your post. I took Goldie to the vet a few weeks ago for a lump to the right of her spine. The doctor examined it & said that it was caused from an ingrown hair...she referred to it as a "dermatological cyst." She said that there's no reason to remove it & dogs can get these ingrown hair randomly - nothing specific causes it & it's not going to cause any problems. Let's hope that's what your dog has too!

[mummummum]

To answer one of your questions, cancer happens in all breeds. Pitties aren't exempt I'm afraid. Lumps can occur for all sorts of reasons. Ceili gets the odd bump which turns into a lump and goes away with an ice pack/ hot pad/ice pack/ hot pad. Bridie and Declan have lots of permanent lumps and bumps. Some are fatty lumps, some are cysts which they have drained when they get "too big". I get each of these of lumps and bumps aspirated once a year (unless they change of course) because even a cyst can have a tumour within it. Let us know how you make out.

[Spatx]

My boy Cody has a couple of grape-sized lumps on the outside of his ribcage. He has about 4 of them, but they are just fatty tissue growths, which can be quite common on older dogs. (Cody is 8 years). Also my previous dog Lucky kept getting benign growths on the back of his hind legs, we got them tested and removed after they continued to grow. Luckily it never impeded him in any way, and they posed no threat to his health whatsoever.

The only way to truly find out what they are is to visit your veterinarian and get them to run some tests. Chances are they are something minor that won't bother your dog, let us know how it goes!

[bellaTX]

thanks to everyone who was concerned bella turned out ok after putting heat wraps on her the lump went away all is well

[Frenchy]

That is good news !

[hazelrunpack]

That is good news! WooooooHooooo!!! Good girl, Bella!