Hi,
Monday night I was petting Nutmeg and and when I went to go rub her stomach I noticed a swollen lump. The lump is where I guess you could say her "belly button" would be. It's probably about an inch or maybe even less below her rib cage, right in the center. Naturally this caused me to panic and freak out. Since it didn't appear to hurt Nutmeg when I touched the lump and rubbed it and also because she was acting fine (eating, running around the beach all day, and had normal toileting) I convinced myself to observe her for a day or two until I got back home to Boston when at that time I could take Nutmeg in to see her Vet. I also thought maybe she got bitten by a sand flea or something while at the beach. However, yesterday the lump was a little bigger or maybe it was just my paranoia. I'm not really sure, but it's for sure noticeable. The lump is dime sized or maybe smaller (feels big though) and "hard" when touched lightly or I guess you could say it's solid, but the skin is freely moveable over it. It is also raised/protruding out from her skin. I can push on it and it seems to go in a little, but I'm afraid to apply any type of pressure with force. Pushing lightly on the lump and wiggling it doesn't affect Nutmeg at all. She has no reaction to me examining her lump. Nutmeg has been healthy since the day I got her. She will be 2 years old in another 3 weeks. She is spayed also. I'm sure I'll find out what is going on with her when the Vet examines her today and/or after tests, if need be.
Naturally a lump is the last thing you want to feel on your yorkie. First thought is "Oh jeez can this be a malignant tumor?" Hopefully this isn't the case. I'm really praying it's nothing serious. Fingers crossed.
Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Any insights? I find coming across a sudden lump on your yorkie to be very strange especially since I rub Nutmeg's stomach all the time (daily - she loves it!) and the lump just appeared out of nowhere Monday night. Could it be a umbilical hernia? I've googled images and it looks like one, but would a dog who is spayed and 2 years old suddenly get an umbilical hernia, is it possible? Perhaps it could be a smaller hernia? Nutmeg is very active. She goes for walks daily (2 to 3 daily walks, approx 20 minutes each) and she chases my cat around the house daily as well, so she's always on the move. Not sure if being extremely active causes hernias? However, the day before I noticed the lump she was a bit constipated - straining to move her bowels. Maybe it could be a fatty cyst too? Sorry....no one is going to know, except a Vet obviously. Thoughts are racing through my head right now and I'm just very concerned and hope it's nothing serious. I'd like to hear though if anyone has experienced something similar or if their thoughts.
Here's are 2 pics of Nutmeg's lump and as soon as I get the diagnosis/report from Nutmeg's Vet I'll let everyone know. We have an appointment in about an hour.
http://oi43.tinypic.com/2lv24jc.jpg http://oi39.tinypic.com/35d9rwl.jpg