Medical question (for my dog, not me) ...m

[muttmommy]

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I have my ideas about what this could be, but thought I'd see what you guys think ....

I was checking my 14y/o mixed breed dog out the other day and came across a growth on the back of her left hind paw directly in back of the large foot pad. This - thing - is dime sized, pinkish red in color and seems to have some sort of secondary growth coming off the top of it. This secondary growth looks like tufts of fur or a small toenail but is soft to the touch. The whole thing is fairly firm to touch. It's almost like a boil - and yet not quite.

I just had her to the vet last month to take care of a seasonal allergy and the vet didn't notice anything then. It is not painful to walk on or to the touch (kind of hard to tell though since she is sensitive about her feet) - it's just there. Any ideas on what it could be? I'll take her to the vet if it's something serious but I'd kind of like to see what everyone thinks. Anyone?

 

[Iain]

I think asking people who are aspiring vets about medical conditions is really not a good idea. I would suggest you to use your judgement, if you think it is something serious off to the vet, if you want to watch and see what happens to it, then go right ahead. You are far better off going with your gut, then listening to any of us.

 

[rsachdev]

although i do agree with iain, i would say that any suspicious lump should be shown to the vet, especially if it came up rather suddenly. it never hurts to get it checked out.

 

[Alysheba]

MuttMommy, I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

There are a lot of benign neoplasms out there, but growths on the feet can be nasty (mast cell etc.).

Playing guess that lump when the dog is in your office without a biopsy/path report is dangerous. Playing guess that lump over the phone or internet is even worse.

Depending on your experience with "guess that lump" you or your vet may feel comfortable making that call by eyeballing it, but I think you'd be hard pressed to make that call long distance. I'm not trying to be a smart alec, I'm just trying to inject a dose of reality into the limitations of "long-distance diagnostics".

Good luck...I hope your "puppy" makes out ok. 🙂

 

[muttmommy]

Thanks everyone for all your advice - I had already decided to consult my vet right after I posted this anyhow, but appreciated all the advice to do so. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!! Cheers! 🙂

 

[Iain]

Thanks everyone for all your advice - I had already decided to consult my vet right after I posted this anyhow, but appreciated all the advice to do so. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!! Cheers! 🙂

Good idea - hopefull your dog is fine, and foot is better soon.