Lump on Lip
My 10-month
old Bernese Mountain Dog female has developed a ~5mm lumpon her lower lip. It is pink and appears composed of smaller nodules
half a millimeter or less in length. This lump is somewhat spherical and
it extrudes (outwardly) from the middle part of her lower left lip. We
just noticed this right after coming back from a three week vacation and
the soonest we could schedule a vet appointment is in four days. Could
this be a more urgent matter ?
Any new lump is worthy of examination by your veterinarian. Lumps can have many origins, including wounds, infections, blisters, tumors gingivitis, impacted salivary glands, etc.
In general, if the lump is not growing over the course of a week, does not bother the patient, is not sore to the touch, and is not surrounded by inflammation, it is not likely to be a problem. A close look and feel can rule in or out many of the possible causes. If your veterinarian is concerned, a fine needle aspiration can remove cells that can be examined microscopically.
Most lumps as you describe go away in one to two weeks with no treatment. The occasional gingival squamous cell carcinoma that begins as you described is the insentive to have your veterinarian take a closer look.
See our other articles in this Ask the Vet Section on lip abscesses and lip sores.
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