my friend has a 10 year old rescue boxer, he is in general good health, but today he noticed a lump on the inside of his upper front leg, and within three hours another lump appeared on the opposite front leg. Both lumps are under the skin, they are not attached to anything and are about 2 inches diameter.  I have told them that a vet needs to have a look, but wondered if anyone could give me any experience or advice on this? And due to the boxers age would this be a common thing in this breed?

> would this be a common thing in this breed?

Not if they are popping up suddenly.
Old boxers tend to be very lumpy but they do usually grow slowly.

Some kind of allergy, though the explanation of the lumps doesn't sound like thi sreally.  Very strange.

yes i am a bit puzzled as to how the lump grew so quickly, i wondered if it was the dog shampoo they have recently bathed him with, but the lumps are under the skin?

my boxer has had a few lumps over the years but nothing thats turned out to be bad luckily. all his lumps have come up over a long period of time and have all been checked out by the vets and a couple removed just in case. these days he still has a couple but they are in difficult places to get to and because they are nothing bad the vet has left them alone. think this is quite common with boxers but the lumps your talking about are very different and could be anything. i would pop to the vets and let them decide but it doesn't sound like anythink too bad if they appeared that quick.
better safe than sorry though and we can't really advice you and be sure we're right.
let us know what the vet says. 

2 inches in diameter, they are very large lumps.. You sure they are that big?
If they have come up, i would possibly be thinking a bite of some kind, or even lymph nodes??
But yes i would be looking carefully for a bite or sting and going to the vets..

There are so many wasps about right now - could they be wasp stings?

Years ago my first GSD was stung by a wasp and when I took her to the (locum) vet, he diagnosed possible bone cancer, even though I asked whether it may be a wasp sting. After my complaint my vet ditched that particular locum.

Unless he's been bitten by insects or got an allergy/hives reaction..
I don't like lumps in Boxers.
My 8yo girl has had what the vet thought were 'innocent' small pea sized lumps removed
only for the result to be mast cell tumours - grade 2
She had them removed from her head and the top of her leg and then also removed from her
shoulder as a precaution.
I am checking her over every grooming session we have.

I'd always rather be vigilant where lumps are concerned with Boxers.

my maltese suga had pups in july ..one of the pups summer has had 2 operations to remove a lump on her neck ,
she is still attending the vet and taking tablets for 30 days ..she a little sweet heart ..i hope your dog gets well soon ..

Just waiting to here how the Boxer has got on at the vets today, fingers crossed all will be ok, will keep you all posted. x

Any news??

hi yes an update. Well the vet was not sure what lumps are, said could be sting or allergic reaction to something, so gave him a steroid injection and said if not cleared within 4 days they would have to do tests for allergy and mast cell tumor, but within 3 days of having the injection all lumps have disappeared . So it looks as though he had allergic reaction to something like a hedge or something similar all fine now

> my friend has a 10 year old rescue boxer, he is in general good health, but today he noticed a lump on the inside of his upper front leg, and within three hours another lump appeared on the opposite front leg. Both lumps are under the skin, they are not attached to anything and are about 2 inches diameter.  I have told them that a vet needs to have a look, but wondered if anyone could give me any experience or advice on this? And due to the boxers age would this be a common thing in this breed?

Hi,

I have seen this a few times in various breeds, it is a type of allergy, in humans it is called Uticaria. (Nettle rash although nothing to do with nettle rash at all, but the lumps come up really quickly like a raised patch on your skin if you get stung). The lumps on dogs look much more prominent. Earlier this year my Africanis got it after I gave her a kibble food instead of her usual barf diet. I gave her a piriton each day for two days and it went down.

> the lumps come up really quickly like a raised patch on your skin if you get stung)

X breed we used to have started this, he was really short coat and literally dozens of bumps were coming up while you looked, very easy to see as tiny clump of hair on each bump was standing up but his breathing rate started increasing.
did emergency call out, met vet -done up in DJ and bow tie -oops- at about 11pm at surgery, Freckles had anti-histamine shot and something else, we got told if we had left him till morning we would have lost him as he was going into anaphalactic shock. Vet said it could have been something as innocent as an ant-bite.
Chris