Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello! Any cancer, benign or otherwise, can look like anything. That said, histiocytomas, or 'strawberry lumps' are benign and will often just vanish again; they are well known for the striking bald, red, speckled strawberry-like appearance and typically appear in young dogs (aged 1-3) as opposed to the middle-aged or older dogs more commonly (but not always!) associated with cancers. However, as you know, I cannot diagnose this lump by looking and nor can your vet for certain, and while some strawberry lumps might look like this, some unpleasant lumps also spread. Whether you do nothing. opt for removal or have a Fine Needle Aspirate (where they put a needle in in the consult room, steal a few cells to look down the microscope at and take a much more certain guess) depends partly on your vets' best guess on examination and partly on your attitude to risk. However, there is another possibility to be aware of; it could be an inflammatory lump, for example a large pimple, inflamed follicle, or superficial foreign body on its way out etc. which may or may not need further treatment. Best of luck and please do let us know what you decide and what happens.
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