Scruff Lump?

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Nicole & Baby

Nicole & Baby

Member Since 2009
Hi, I have noticed a little lump in Baby’s scruff. I give her insulin injections there and the side of her stomach. The only way I can feel it is if take a hold of it like I were giving her a shot, to just pet her she feels normal.

I know I will need to take her to the vet, have any of you experienced this? She has been diabetic for 3.5 years and that is a lot of shots, so wondering about this lump. nailbite_smile
 
Could be a small buildup of scar tissue.

Could be from injecting into the skin layers intradermally, rather that subcutaneously.

Is it irritated at all - red, rash, etc?
 
I appreciate your quick reply. There is no rash or redness, she appears completely fine & when I compared her scuff to Sadi’s it does not feel all that different – I just notice it feels different than when I gave her an injection before. It is weird I cannot feel it when I pet her at all.
I plan to shoot her in the side of stomach and make an appointment this week with the vet.
 
Hi,

I created a new account (after a couple years away when we 1st got the diagnosis) just to reply to your scruff lump concern. My guy, Jebus, has had a scruff lump for years. I only inject in the scruff and just change sides (R in morning & L at night). The vet said that it is most likely a buildup of scar tissue and if he reacts uncomfortably to the needle to change up the spot. Injecting in the lump doesn't seem to bother him. My vet simply reccomends giving insulin "I.C." which means "in cat" anyway that is doesn't hurt the animal. Check with your vet to be sure, but I think the lump is harmless.
 
It wouldnt do any harm to have it checked out just in case by your vet. Then if it is scar tissue I would make sure you rotate injection sites.
 
Re: Scruff Lump? Could be cancer

it could also be cancer! Really. Ragnar had a lump on one side under his chin, which I had fine-needle aspirated in 2007, and they found only scar tissue. He'd been neutered not long before, and we assumed it was from a fight or something when he was young, but had been hidden before by his "tomcat pads."

Dr Jen removed it during a dental last year, had it biopsied, and it was a "neoplasm" - a mast cell tumor. It was cancer, but this kind doesn't spread easily, and they got it all.

Mast cell tumors can cause inflammation elsewhere in the body, and R.'s lipase had been higher at every check for many years. After the tumor was out, it was lower at every check, though still above normal. (It was back up a little at his last test during the not-eating period, but that's a different issue - probably due to infection.) If we'd removed it in 2007 (it was a different doc, no longer here, and I requested the fine needle), I wonder if he would have even have become diabetic, let alone developed his chronic inflammation of the pancreas! (The inflammation was confirmed by ultrasound and biopsy in 2009.)

In short, my opinion on lumps now is "If in doubt, have it out!"

Blessings!

Shirley and Mr. Beautiful cat_pet_icon
 
By the way, I agree that the many shots are the most likely cause. But there were other likely causes of Ragnar's lump too, and the fine needle only found scar tissue. So cancer is unlikely but something you should be aware of.

Also by the way, the scruff isn't a very good place for insulin shots - not a good enough blood supply. The flank is better. There's a page on this website that shows the best places to shoot.

Blessings!

Shirley and her Love
 
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