# VERY sudden large soft squishy grapefruit size mass on Billy's side



## Lilliam

WOW this is just stunning....I just got Billy out of the car after picking him and Max up from day care and there is this huge THING on his back/side, just below the spine, over the rib cage. It is very soft and squishy and he doesn't appear to be in pain. If he'd had any kind of surgery I'd say it almost feels like a seroma.

He ate his dinner fine and does not appear to be in any pain.

Nothing below his jaw or in his groin or under his armpits.

Can seromas form without surgery? I've only associated them with surgeries....

His gums are a good pink and his mouth is moist. He's moving a little slowly, but then again he always moves slowly after playing all day.

I brushed the living daylights out of him and Max on Wednesday and there was nothing there. I'm so afraid he'll leave me.

Any ideas? I don't feel that he requires an emergency vet visit, but I don't want to be in denial.

Billy is 11 and aside from his allergies, two bouts of diarrhoea and his licking his neuter incision he has never been sick.

Your ideas would be very appreciated.


----------



## Megora

Have the vet check it out. 

I would say it sounds like a fatty tumor, but I don't know how prone collies are as far as those (I know they're very common with retrievers), and I'm concerned that it was so big before you discovered it. <- They grow fast, but not that fast.


----------



## Lilliam

Thank you! I definitely will have him checked on Monday. Or do you think it requires an emergency room visit? He does not appear in distress at all. That's what's got me baffled. I mean, it's good he's not in distress, but this GRAPEFRUIT shows up in one day.


----------



## Lilliam

I should say I discovered it because I thought his coat was fluffed up and was straightening it out, and when I put my hand on it there it was.
I brushed him and Max out every day all weekend, and I took Tuesday and Wednesday off. So I had my hands all over him on Wednesday. Yesterday and this morning there was nothing unusual.


----------



## goldensrbest

A grapefruit size, would concern me, I would visit a vet very soon.


----------



## Megora

Unless it were seeping or causing him discomfort or you notice any changes in behavior.... I think Monday would be fine. Good luck<:


----------



## Lilliam

I will keep my eye on him over the next 48 hours and see the vet on Monday, his vet is right adjacent to doggy day care.

Thank you both!!!!!


----------



## Lilliam

goldensrbest said:


> A grapefruit size, would concern me, I would visit a vet very soon.


Its diameter is around the size of a grapefruit, but it's flattened out. And very squishy.

Like a half filled water balloon.

No discolouration on the skin.

He's asleep and dreaming now.


----------



## dogloverforlife

Good idea to get it checked out. Fingers crossed it is nothing serious.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Tayla's Mom

Could he have gotten hurt at day care? Like a hematoma on ear. Could he have fallen or been hit by something?


----------



## Lilliam

Tayla's Mom said:


> Could he have gotten hurt at day care? Like a hematoma on ear. Could he have fallen or been hit by something?


That's what I was wondering, a seroma. But I've only associated seromas with surgeries. 

I mean, this was NOT there Wednesday. I had my hands all over him Wednesday. We got home late last night and Toby kat escaped when I opened the door so we spend a good hour on a merry chase all over the neighbourhood looking for Toby so I didn't notice it last night or this morning as I was rushing to work and getting them into the car for daycare.

But today....he looked like his coat was all messy so I went to smooth it out and that's when I noticed it.


----------



## TheZ's

Tayla's Mom said:


> Could he have gotten hurt at day care? Like a hematoma on ear. Could he have fallen or been hit by something?


I had the same thought but I'd have it checked out. With our first Golden it seemed like everything that needed asap care happened at night or on the weekend. Our er vet is good and actually seems less expensive than our regular vet. For something like this I'd give them a call and they'd tell me whether or not I should bring him in.


----------



## autumn's mom

I was thinking about Doggy Day Care too - did they notice this lump? It sounds like it was pretty obvious to you. Maybe he got scratched or something at daycare.


----------



## Lilliam

TheZ's said:


> I had the same thought but I'd have it checked out. With our first Golden it seemed like everything that needed asap care happened at night or on the weekend. Our er vet is good and actually seems less expensive than our regular vet. For something like this I'd give them a call and they'd tell me whether or not I should bring him in.


I called his vet....she said that unless I see distress that it can wait until Monday. 

She said that if it's squishy it's fluid, and if his gums are pink then the fluid is not blood. And it is squishy and his gums are pink.

She'll see him first thing Monday at 8 a.m.


----------



## Lilliam

autumn's mom said:


> I was thinking about Doggy Day Care too - did they notice this lump? It sounds like it was pretty obvious to you. Maybe he got scratched or something at daycare.


No, I don't think they noticed it. It really just looked like the coat was messy and fluffed up. I went to straighten it out and felt it. 

I've been turning his coat to see if I can find any kind of wound, but I don't see a thing. 

It doesn't bother him at all, he's literally lying on that side, literally snoring.


----------



## Megora

Might want to give the daycare people a call as well... see if something happened?


----------



## Lilliam

Megora said:


> Might want to give the daycare people a call as well... see if something happened?


Yah, that would have been great if I'd noticed it earlier and thought of it without losing my wits, but day care was already closed when I got home, they close at 7 on Fridays.

But I'll see them on Monday.


----------



## Lilliam

By the way, thank you so much everyone.

This is one of the things that makes this forum great. So many wonderful caring people. You're wonderful.

I really appreciate it.


----------



## Selli-Belle

My Selli (8 y.o.) had something VERY similar about a month ago. Somewhat mushy/somewhat firm, flat and rather large. Took her in and they did a needle biopsy and found white blood cells and leukocytes indicating an infection. We put her on doxy since we had been in a tick area and I may have pulled a tick off her in that area. The lump disappeared within days. Now I just have to go in and get a tick-borne illness panel done.


----------



## turtle66

You could measure the diameter of his body - let's say over the most prominent swelling over the weekend - may be once in the morning and once in the evening - that way you might be able to say if it is growing or not. That said - it is not easy to measure around the body always using the same spot. I would make some notes...like: I measured 4 inches away from his neckline around the body or something like that. I would be also careful and not squishing it too hard. If it is a seroma or a cyst and would be best to keep it as a 'whole'. That's said: I see a weekend with walking and easy exercise coming up, may be not running crazy all over the place over the weekend...

All the best!!

Heike


----------



## tippykayak

Sounds like an abscess. Definitely get it checked with the vet, but if Billy's gums are pink and it's not bugging him, I wouldn't freak out and treat it as an emergency.


----------



## Lilliam

Thank you so much!!!!! You've got no idea the things going through my mind.
I'm so afraid his time is coming, any little thing gets me crazy.
It will be a long time before 8 am Monday....


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Mirinde

If the bubbles can develop from injuries, he could have totally gotten whacked in the side with a fetch ball on accident, or plowed into by another dog. Thinking of all the weird ways I've seen Iorek get beat up at daycare just from normal, supervised play... I would not rule out an injury. Depending on what it was, the daycare staff may have had no reason to think it would cause a problem? Do they have an outdoor area? Could he have gotten bit by something insect-like? Hope you get some peace of mind soon!


----------



## Lilliam

Mirinde said:


> If the bubbles can develop from injuries, he could have totally gotten whacked in the side with a fetch ball on accident, or plowed into by another dog. Thinking of all the weird ways I've seen Iorek get beat up at daycare just from normal, supervised play... I would not rule out an injury. Depending on what it was, the daycare staff may have had no reason to think it would cause a problem? Do they have an outdoor area? Could he have gotten bit by something insect-like? Hope you get some peace of mind soon!


Yes, they have an outside area where they play. They play in small supervised groups, and being Friday, his fave person was there. Johann...Billy adores him and is always very happy when Johann is at work. Johann is always very observant of Billy, and he'll say things like "he'll be a little stiff tonight, he played hard" or "he pooped a little soft, might have been over excited." He didn't mention anything.


----------



## Lilliam

To everyone who's written, thank you. It feels really good to talk to you.

Billy's bump has not gotten bigger overnight. It actually feels smaller. He is not bothered by it and actually lays on that side, stretched out in front of the air conditioner. 

He ate his breakfast fine, went out, no problem. He did his usual circle dance when I said "do you want to go out?" so he's acting quite normal.

I don't think this is an emergency vet kind of thing. His gums continue to be pink and his mouth moist. He drank water fine as he usually does right after coming back in after being let out this morning. I watched him closely as he walked and he's his usual weekend morning "OH MY GOD I WORKED HARD YESTERDAY HERDING MAX ALL DAY!!!!!" kind of stiff. 

There is nothing unusual about his demeanor. Eyes clear, nose clear, firm poop.

I think this was an insect bite or a bump. It feels like it's going down.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Billy sounds like he's doing alright, hope it doesn't turn out to be anything serious.

I know what you're saying about Monday at 8 a.m. being a long time for you.

When you've got a Senior, you worry about every little thing, I did with my old guy.


----------



## Lilliam

CAROLINA MOM said:


> Billy sounds like he's doing alright, hope it doesn't turn out to be anything serious.
> 
> I know what you're saying about Monday at 8 a.m. being a long time for you.
> 
> When you've got a Senior, you worry about every little thing, I did with my old guy.


Yup.....you've got it, exactly. It's that senior thing, where I am counting every day now. He's 11, but Cassie, his sister, only lived to 12 and a half. She'd always been healthy and when she started going downhill she really went fast. Started with little things like cysts and culminated in two seizures.

So I'm really watching Billy now.


----------



## Megora

Very awesome - I was hoping to read something like this today. Glad it seems to be shrinking - that does seem to indicate it was goose egg from bumping something or getting bit by something.


----------



## Lilliam

Megora said:


> Very awesome - I was hoping to read something like this today. Glad it seems to be shrinking - that does seem to indicate it was goose egg from bumping something or getting bit by something.


A goose egg!!!!!:lol:


----------



## Lilliam

OK the goose egg is now down to maybe a duck egg. It's smaller, his side is not flat, and it's still squisky. Whatever fluid there might have been in there seems to be absorbing?????

Anyway, his behaviour has not changed at all and he's still eating as normal. 

Thank you all so very much for talking me through that scary Friday night. You guys are awesome!!!!


----------



## Lilliam

Hi everyone
I thought I'd closer the loop on this. Billy has been on antibiotics for the bump. Seems he might have ruptured a cyst and therefore there is infection that has set in.
He's doing well, the swelling is definitely going down. We're trying to go the conservative route, antibiotics, instead of trying to open it up. We may end up having to open it, but we're trying to get it smaller. I's only the size of a half lemon now.
Thank you so much for all your information!!!


----------

