A Growth on the White of an Older Rottweiler's Eye
by A reader
He does not scratch, or wine or seem to be bothered. He continues to track and appears to be able to see for now. Been there for 6 months.
We have used a steroid gel from vet, but it just reduced the redness. It appears to be a slow grower, but he also has a lump under his forarm (armpit) the size of ping-pong ball Would this be consistent with a lymphoma? He is 10 years old, Rottweiler. Don't want to put him through abunch this late in life.
A slow-growing raised growth on the white of the eye is often a benign growth such as a limbal melanoma (a pigmented growth at the edge of the cornea), a benign inflamed nodule, or a growth of the third eyelid or conjunctiva. Some of these respond partly to steroid gels, which fits what you saw.
A lump under the armpit is worth checking on its own. It could be a swollen lymph node, a fatty lump, or something else. A quick needle sample of the armpit lump is easy and doesn't need anesthesia, and is the best way to know whether it is lymphoma, which can occasionally show up in the eye too.
Keeping things simple for an older dog makes sense. A needle sample of the armpit lump and an eye exam, possibly by a veterinary ophthalmologist, are low-stress steps that can tell you a lot. See your vet sooner if the eye becomes red, painful or cloudy, or if he loses weight or other lumps appear.
See eye tumors in dogs and swollen lymph nodes in dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
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