Nickel Size Lesion on Dog Face

by John
(Chicago, IL. U.S.A.)

Reader Question: Cause of Lesion on Cat Face

My 10 year old labrador has "lesions" throughout her body the size of a pimple (most are black)but this is one is the size of a nickel. What is it ?

Thank You for your time and knowledge.

Thanks,

John R.

Vet Suggestion for Treating a Dog Face Lesion

Hi John,

It might be possible to determine what the pink, nickel-sized mass you describe on your dog is with a simple test like an impression smear (pressing a glass slide against it and examining the cells that come off under the microscope) or aspiration (drawing off some cells with a needle and syringe and looking at them under the microscope). Your veterinarian can perform these procedures quickly in the clinic.

If these tests don’t provide you with answers, it might be best to have the mass removed and looked at by a pathologist. Removing potentially problematic masses when they are small is always better than waiting for them to grow so large as to make surgery more difficult. This is especially true if the mass is growing or changing rapidly.

Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM