At a social walk yesterday, quite a few of our friends noticed the purple stitches in Izzy’s muzzle. She had a lump removed a little over a week ago (her stitches come out on Monday).
Everyone needs to understand that lumps cannot be diagnosed by the naked eye. Without a biopsy, you can never be sure about the type of cells that are growing there.
In Izzy’s case, the spot on her nose opened up and bled like crazy and, by the following morning, had totally disappeared again. Bleeding concerns me – hence the reason we went off to the vet.
The testing has come back and it’s good news. The spot was a hemangioma, a benign growth that is related to sun damage.
With the spring and summer on their way, I’ve made a promise to both of us that I will be much more diligent in applying sunscreen to her muzzle each and every day.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
DoggyMom.com 
So glad you got good news! Best to you.
Thank you. When I teach massage workshops for dog owners, we have a specific module about lump and bump checks.