Sometimes when you are petting your cat or dog you can notice a lump on the skin. Some of these masses are slow growing, some of them are growing quickly. We should remember that even a minor injury can cause a bump. There is possibility that it will heal on its own but sometimes the wound can be infected and it forms the abscess. The abscesses are often red and painful, the cats need antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications.
There are a few possibilities to categorize lumps. There are many different types of benign and malignant skin masses. Most often we can see the lipomas, called also fatty tumors, which are not cancerous or dangerous for an animal. They do not need to be removed if they do not bother a cat or a dog. To diagnose this kind of lump we use a needle to get a sample.
Other type of masses are mast cell tumors which can appear on the skin, usually on the head or neck. There is possibility that they can be itchy or cancerous. One of the very common masses is mammary gland tumor, which can appear near nipples.
After the diagnosis it is important to decide if the lump should be removed or not.
