# Can anybody identify this growth??



## ssmurf10 (Jul 17, 2008)

Hi everybody, a few weeks ago chico had something black and hard growing from under his armpit, it looked kind of like a bloodclot or something, and you can see it was coming from underneath the skin because the sides were still covered a little bit by his skin. After a week it was gone, guessing it fell off or he scraped it off accidently, but there was still a little tiny black bit left on there. 

After I looked again this morning I saw that it was there again starting to grow back in the same spot, it is smaller this time, but it is the same thing growing, can anybody help me identify what this might be, I have included a few pictures of it from this morning, thanks


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

it looks like a blackhead to me???
try squeezing it and removing the extended part in one piece. clean with a mild astringent like witch hazel. and inspect the part you removed. if it's waxy, then it's probably just a hair follicle that likes to make extra oil.
if not... keep an eye on it for major changes and see the vet.


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## ssmurf10 (Jul 17, 2008)

JoKealoha said:


> it looks like a blackhead to me???
> try squeezing it and removing the extended part in one piece. clean with a mild astringent like witch hazel. and inspect the part you removed. if it's waxy, then it's probably just a hair follicle that likes to make extra oil.
> if not... keep an eye on it for major changes and see the vet.


Thank you for the reply, Can yu tell that there is a good amount of it underneath the skin, should I attempt to pull the entire thing out?


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## downlikedisco (Mar 19, 2013)

That could be a mast cell tumor and you should have your vet remove it

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## BullyGal (Jun 25, 2012)

Yeah... any type of abnormal growth I'd see a vet about.


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## Princesspaola21 (Oct 30, 2012)

BullyGal said:


> Yeah... any type of abnormal growth I'd see a vet about.


X2 I would definitely check with a vet. Better safe than sorry!!

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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

ssmurf10 said:


> Thank you for the reply, Can yu tell that there is a good amount of it underneath the skin, should I attempt to pull the entire thing out?


after second thought, i think disco might be right. i've seen mast cell tumors before that have a "stalk" growing from the surface.

have the vet examine.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Squeeze it and see what happens. To me it looks like a black head and yes dogs can get them. My dogs get them sometimes, well I have some dogs prone to them. It could be a skin tag, normally those are flesh color but I have seen black ones. It could be a tumor but since it fell off and the way it looks I would guess it's a pore that keeps getting clogged. If you do pop it make sure to get all of it out.


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## Carriana (May 13, 2008)

performanceknls said:


> Squeeze it and see what happens. To me it looks like a black head and yes dogs can get them. My dogs get them sometimes, well I have some dogs prone to them. It could be a skin tag, normally those are flesh color but I have seen black ones. It could be a tumor but since it fell off and the way it looks I would guess it's a pore that keeps getting clogged. If you do pop it make sure to get all of it out.


That was my first thought was skin tag. Brutus used to get them in his armpit and his harness rubbed it in just the wrong spot and they would fill up with blood. Then again, it could have been a tumor too since he had other growths which in hindsight could have been mast cell tumors since he ultimately succumbed to cancer of some sort.

OP,.The best way to determine for sure is to have a vet check it out, possibly biopsy it. Mast cell tumors are good at disguising themselves. We just had a lump removed from Loki which I was sure was a benign lipoma but the biopsy came back positive for mast cell.


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## ssmurf10 (Jul 17, 2008)

Thank you for the responses, I will bring him to the vet for confirmation on what it is


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## KLAW (Sep 12, 2017)

BUMP... Has Anyone Had One Of These Growths Identified Yet??? 

I've become the new daddy/"partial owner" to my ex gf's (first HS sweetheart and just got in contact again 12+yrs later) 5.5-6yr old Blue Pit... She is not in a situation where should be owning a dog right now and so I started taking care of him since I just recently had to put down my last of my 2 life long pits this April (Rednose named Dosha 12ish yrs old, lost ability to hold her weight on hind leg in mater of month or two & the other couldn't handle the transition to fully supporting her as quick as happened...she was so energetic too when had to put her down, but after a whole month trying everything and of my having to hold her back end up for everything 24/7...yeah...Broke my heart. 

Then a year before had to put down my first baby due to lung cancer of some type(started coughing and X-rays showed entire chest just white cob weby fog cover whole insides), that I had since I was 17yrs old. Her name was Marley, was also abt 12yrs old and the sweetest dog I've ever met (not just being bias... Everyone agreed) she was White w/black dots on skin only...she was almost Dogo Argentino esk looking & in sweetness... I miss them horribly... (Im fighting my eyes tearing up as I try to write this)

Back to the at hand... So I have my ex's bigger blue bully (close to 70lbs)... He has got one of these that came off clean and I didn't think returned, but a new spot I just found before getting on here might be the old growth (can't remember where it was) & either way is one of these type black growths "protruding" and "growing out" the skin... That one is on the toe and brand new growth(or old & coming back). He has two more.. one small I found last night on his lower lip that's tiny pin head size and a bigger one on the back of his "heel" area I guess it is, that is bigger (maybe 1/4") and got knocked off and bleed profusely on my truck seat (older rough textured seat scratched it off I think... But these things knock off fairly easy and grow out again extremely fast) well that was a day ago and I saved the growth to have tested in case she took the dog back (does that for a day or two every couple weeks) and now in just 2days it has grown back and so fast it is starting to "protrude" already. He also has a large (1/4"x1/2") regular skin tag on his chest (I will maybe have removed too if vets say too since is right where his harness is and collar can come close to).

I'm taking him to the vet today hopefully, but just found the pic in this post the other day and it's dead on 100% for the types of growths he has that are the ones worrying me... 

I'm wondering if are just a type of "tag" or something more serious like cancer? Interesting how this OP's pics are the only other pics like his growth I've been able to find and is also on a "Blue" (at least looks like) and how common skin tags are for them... Hoping they are some type of tag that starts out dead under the skin I guess.

I wish there was a "post-vet" visit update by the OP on this 4yr old thread, but figured would see if any others could identify by now? 

If not I WILL get him to the vet today or tomorrow and WILL update w/biopsy results on here for others!

((((P.S. Sry this is my first post on here and that I wrote so much w/o proper grammar... I'm very long winded and hope you all understand the "flow" of my online typing style. THANKS!!!))))

~K


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

KLAW said:


> BUMP... Has Anyone Had One Of These Growths Identified Yet???
> 
> I've become the new daddy/"partial owner" to my ex gf's (first HS sweetheart and just got in contact again 12+yrs later) 5.5-6yr old Blue Pit... She is not in a situation where should be owning a dog right now and so I started taking care of him since I just recently had to put down my last of my 2 life long pits this April (Rednose named Dosha 12ish yrs old, lost ability to hold her weight on hind leg in mater of month or two & the other couldn't handle the transition to fully supporting her as quick as happened...she was so energetic too when had to put her down, but after a whole month trying everything and of my having to hold her back end up for everything 24/7...yeah...Broke my heart.
> 
> ...


Given the dogs age they are most likely just skin tags. If they aren't growing and aren't red and nasty looking, just have the vet take a look on your next visit. I have a 9 year old who started getting tags around 5 years old. Some of them scab, some can be drained and go away for awhile. But they're just skin tags. 
I'm sorry to hear about your last two pups, but I'm glad you have company to help your heart heal.

long winded is ok around here. We all go off on tangents sometimes. LOL!


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## KLAW (Sep 12, 2017)

EckoMac said:


> Given the dogs age they are most likely just skin tags. If they aren't growing and aren't red and nasty looking, just have the vet take a look on your next visit. I have a 9 year old who started getting tags around 5 years old. Some of them scab, some can be drained and go away for awhile. But they're just skin tags.
> I'm sorry to hear about your last two pups, but I'm glad you have company to help your heart heal.
> 
> long winded is ok around here. We all go off on tangents sometimes. LOL!


These are red and nasty looking for a few days, then they turn black (while still semi flat and very fastly (like 1/8" per day) break "through" the skin and build new dead layers out(you can see it at the base of the one the OP posted) that are extremely almost rock hard (way WAY more then say just dried blood or a scab) and continue to grow out like a snake fire work without the curls.

Unfortunately she took him back for the first day in weeks and I won't be able to take him to the vet until she brings him back... Which most likely will be very soon. However I did describe it to the vet and he said the whole "turning black then protruding through the skin and growing outward so fast" sounds exactly like a form of "malignant skin growths he has seen before, that can show up whole body later on". So yeah I'm hoping some type tag that dies and continues to grow dead layers, but could be something and for sure want to get him ASAP.

I recently got a little black and white 4-6yr old pitty to keep me company since havnt got her to commit to giving him to me since she is not in a good situation. And she is super sweet and that and her white face reminds me of my old first pup Marley, so she is helping me immensely with the loss of my other girls.

Thank you for the reply and I hope you are right and some type tag. His other normal tag is pretty fast growing too, so maybe these "dead, black & protruding throgh skin" things are too... I will update for sure once get him in to the vet and get results back... Whenever that might be. Thanks!


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