URGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to make a choice (UPDATE)

I would take her to another vet asap.

If it were my dog, I'd opt for a 2nd opinion.

As our agility instructor always reminded us "Your dog's safety/health is your responsibility, no one else's." If your gut feeling is telling you something "ain't right", by all means schedule a visit with another vet.

Yes, please find someone you have confidence in.  

She's only 7?!  That's just barely middle age for a small dog; I can't believe a vet would be ok with not looking into this health concern more thoroughly.  Get yourself a second opinion for sure!

Yeah, my vote is for another vet.  It is always good to at least get a second opinion.  Let us know what happens.  Take care,

If it showed up that fast, I wouldn't think it was a tumor. It could be a seroma, a collection of fliud that can gather under the skin after a surgery. Lucy had a pretty big one after her spay from being too active. It was pretty firm, and could have been mistaken for a tumor if I hadn't known. You should still call your vet to be sure. He may want to make sure there is no infection.

I would get a second opinion, but there is a possibility that the lump you are feeling may be a reaction to the sutures under the skin.  Sometimes the dog's body will have an allergic reaction to a certain type of suture material, an a firm swelling will appear along or next to the suture line.  If your second opinion decides that surgery is indicated again, have Girl's previous records faxed over, that way the new vet knows exactly what was going on.  Good Luck, keep us posted.

Get a second opinion,your mind will never be at ease until you do! Hopes and prayers that its nothing serious.

I definately suggest getting another opinion. It is very possible it is something major or nothing at all.  It is always important to have confidence in your vet and feel that he/she is looking out for your best interests and not just what is convenient or $$ effective for him/herself.
 
Times have changed and so have medical advances and attitudes towards animals.  It may be time to find someone who is more suited to your way of thinking.
 
Good Luck to you.

Second opinion time -- and fast -- again, I'd say more likely either he missed something the first time, or it's infection.

The good news is that it's probably a reaction to the sutures. The bad news is, your vet is nuts if he thinks seven is old in anything other than an Irish Wolfhound or Scottish Deerhound. Good grief, I've got two seven year olds here who have just started advanced training. Ben is almost 11 and still going strong! Let's not even talk about Maggie, who will turn 13 in two weeks.

You do need to have it looked at pronto, by someone who still has all his or her marbles. [8|]

Didn't have internet for the past 2 days, but here's the update:

Let me first just say this.  Myself and my husband felt the lump thoroughly.  I had no doubts that this was the exact same lump that was there in the beginning of this.  It is the same shape, size, location, and depth into the muscle (not in the skin).  This was confirmed when I spoke to my mom, who told me she had talked to the crazy vet the day after Girl's surgery.  She told me that the vet told her about Girl's lump, and that it was a tiny piece of something right under the bald spot.  That was the wrong lump.  The one we brought her to have removed wasn't under the bald skin, it was below and to the side, where it still remains.  He totally got the wrong thing, and apparently had just seen something and went for it without feeling around to be sure. 

After reading the first 3 responses here, within the hour I had posted this, I brought her immediately to my other vet.

He thinks my first vet is crazy.  He says my dog could live to be 16, and 7 is a puppy to him.  He also feels that this isn't a lump secondary to the surgery and that it must be removed pronto!  We have scheduled surgery #2 Monday morning.  He says the lump has to be the original one, because it's definitely a tumor-like growth that has been there for a while, and is much older than 2 weeks, which is when she had surgery.  This thing is months in the making, and was missed by the first vet.  He also thinks that the first vet should have sent the mass off for biopsy, especially since Vet #1 wasn't 100% sure that whatever he took out was in fact, scar tissue/plaque, or whatever else he called it (he called it several things because he just didn't know).  This lump will be going to the lab, he promised me. 

This guy is way more aggressive, and I like that.  The first vet told me that all my dog needed was the fountain of youth, and left it at that.  This one says she should be with me forever, and that her day to die isn't close as long as we take care of her.

I am so disappointed about all of this.  I will have to be more careful not to trust another human so much.  Hopefully this time around she will get actual stitches (this vet thinks that sewing Girl up like a pillocase was WRONG, and that individual stitches were in order for such a huge cut in her skin.)

I am a lot less nervous this time around, and I feel pretty optimistic.  At least I know that any mysterious growths won't be tossed into the trashcan instead of being sent to the lab like I had REQUESTED the first time!  UGH!  I am so mad at him for not sending it off, while not being sure of what it was.  He just didn't care because he thinks she is supposed to die of old age at 7.

I will be back Monday to tell you all how the surgery went!  Send good vibes for her.  2 surgeries in 3 weeks doesn't sound like fun!

Take care!
Stevie
 
EDIT:
PS.  Girl says thank you all for agreeing that she's still a puppy.  Now she knows she's still got it []

Good energy to all of you. Keep us updated.

Pfft! Teenie is ten, and she's still a puppy. She's a wild child!

I hope that Girl's second surgery goes well, and I'm glad that you've found a vet that you like. That's a hard thing to do.