Lump? (located on spine area - cyst, tumour? thoughts/experience please)

To cut a small story short 2 days ago I was on the computer and stroking my Setter and as I ran my hand down her back I found a lump.

It's roughly halfway down her back and on her spine exactly. It's hard with defined edges, I can move it around a bit but I can't get under it so it's almost as if it goes further down. In size it's roughly 2.5 cm wide and there's the scary thing, I bathed her and did a fully body check 2 weeks ago and I felt NOTHING. The skin is perfectly normal around it and there's no hair loss.

In character she's normal, though she had two epsiodes in February where she was falling over (fitting in a way) and walking in tight circles, she lost the sight in her right eye but it's come back. The vet said at that time it could have been a stroke or a brain tumor but definitly not epilepsy. The only thing is she has a smell about her that wasn't there before, and she would still be up for a walk though she tires much faster than even a few months ago. She's 9 now so no spring chicken, but still acts like a puppy at times.

We've got an appointment with the vet on Wednesday to take a few cell samples and see what it is, and if it's anything cancerous well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

My question is has anyone had any experience with such a tumor? Thanks!

Sorry no experience, just best wishes for wednesday.

Both my 2 old girls have a few small old age lumps I need to keep a eye on.

I've no experience, and therefore no advice either - sorry, not much good to you! However, wishing you all the best for Wednesday - hope the views of your vet are positive xx

Yes, one of my dogs suffers from cysts and they do sometimes feel like that, depends on the amount of give in the skin in the area, think we are also more careful as we fear hurting our dogs and the vet will probe more deeply.

keep a check on the size of it, if it grows fast it could be cancerous.
alot of the benign tumors still change but very slow. does the surface look like a wart? where you can see different cells/areas within it or just smooth?
if its like a wart it is some type of tumor if it is smooth the chances are it is just a fat lump which can be moved under the skin.
they can drain them to confirm thats all it is tumors have to be removed by an op.

It could be cancerous or it could be a fatty lump which is quite harmless though these tend to be quite slow growing. If it is a cancer they can be low grade which is not so serious. You can't really tell until they biopsy it. It is the speed it has grown which is the main worry.

My last dog had a fatty lump and when they removed it they found a low grade tumour inside it so I think it is always best to remove the lump. The low grade tumours can often just grow back in the same place over time without spreading according to my vet.

I hope it isn't too serious. Good luck.

Thanks everyone, the more I feel it the more it seems like a cyst but it's always better to be safe than sorry

Along the spine seems a common place for cysts, so fingers crossed this is what it is.

Hope shes ok,Gordon lover,Fingers crossed for you x

Hi Kate sorry to hear your girl is not well. I won't speculate about the cause of the lump but will say it is very unlikely to be fatty tissue (lypoma) which is fairly slow growing and doesn't just appear.

Some of the other symptoms you describe could be related to the lump, you don't say what sort of odd smell ..(I am sure knowing you her teeth and anal glands will have been checked/discounted as the source of the smell) . As Thordell says it may just be a cyst..good luck at the vets, will be thinking of you (hug) x