To Jon-Anne concerning Bartok -
 
>my youngest, Bartok, sable male 6 mo., was neutered on friday.  when we brought
>him home on saturday, i did not notice anything peculiar.  last night when i
>was playing with him, i noticed a lump above his left shoulder.  (i could bhave
>just not noticed it until then, but it definatly was not there before i took
>him to get neutered). the lump is about the size of a small jelly bean (a
>little flatter) and is just connected to the skin, not the muscle mass
>underneath.  it also has a tiny pin-point scab at the end closer to his head.
>could this be where he was injected with the tranquilizer for his operation, or
>is it something more serious?
 
        Jon-Anne -  from your description it sounds like an injection site.
Anesthetic is pretty well absorbed, but anything, if put in certain regions of
the skin, will just sit there and form a lump.  The two most common agents for
causing lumps are vacccines and antibiotic injections.
 
        I would continue to monitor it.  If it does not go away in 2 weeks or
so, it is probably going to form a scar there that will require surgery to
remove.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0952]