Tiny Mass Above Eye Lid?

[MahaSarah]

Hello,

Yesterday night when I was putting everyone to bed I noticed one of my Lovebird's, Pandora, looks to have had some sort of puffiness above one of her eyes. It wasn't discolored or irritated. The best way I could describe it is above her eyelid there looks to be a tiny mass. This morning I removed her from her cage to take a closer look and I felt the area and it felt like a tiny bead above her eyelid, it was hard so it wasn't puffiness or swelling. She is a bared eye Lovebird not peachfaced so the mass is not on her feathers but the area around her eye that is skin. Her annual vet visit is coming up in a few weeks and I just wanted to know if this is something that is an emergency and needs to be seen ASAP.

Edit: I took a picture of it.

Thanks!

 

[Zara]

Sorry, I don´t know

@Hankmacaw @saroj12 ?

 

[Hankmacaw]

I don't know what it is. That will take a vet to determine. Could be she got something stuck under the skin and It encapsulated. I'd say possibly a fatty tumor, but those are soft. Could be any one of many types of tumors that are benign and of course it could be malignant.

Watch it closely and if it starts growing rapidly get her to the Dr. ASAP.

Good luck with your girl.

 

[MahaSarah]

Okay, thank you I will keep a close eye on her up until her vet visit. Would she need any special testing to be done that I can schedule ahead of time?

 

[EkkieLu]

Yeah, I'd get it looked at some time soon too.

 

[Zara]

Would she need any special testing to be done that I can schedule ahead of time?

Maybe call your vet and give him/her the heads up?

I hope all goes well

 

[Tazlima]

If it were somewhere else on the body, I'd agree with Hankmacaw to wait and see if it grows. However, on the eyelid, I'd suggest going now. Around the eyes, even a benign growth can cause serious problems. As it grows, it can press uncomfortably on the eye, or lift the eyelid away from the surface. Either way, it has the potential to interfere with normal, healthy blinking.

Additionally, if it needs to be removed, the size of the tumor can mean the difference between a quick, simple removal, and a serious problem. When a tumor is removed from an eyelid, if it's too big to burn off, the tumor is typically cut out and the remaining portion of the eyelid is drawn together like a set of drapes and stitched together.* A large tumor may not leave enough healthy eyelid to properly cover the eye when removed (think of trying to zip up pants that are too small... now imagine that sensation on your eyeball), and that's when you get into real issues.

Better to deal with it now, while it's small and manageable. If it turns out to be something that will go away on its own, you can rest easy, and if it needs to be removed, you'll be in plenty of time.

*Note: My experience with these things is restricted to dogs and cats, so maybe avian vets use some other process...regardless, the same concerns hold true.

 

[MahaSarah]

Ahhh Im so scared now. Okay, I will give them a call right when I wake up in the morning and let my vet know what is going on and see if I can move her appointment closer.

Thank you for responding! So what is the chance that it isn't life threatening or something that I shouldn't be totally freaking out over?

Thanks @Zara, I appreciate your kind words.

 

[Dartman]

Nerd had a spot like that on his eye and I think it was some kind of hallow behind his eye from banging his head occasionally when he'd panic fly and crash. It would puff up a tiny bit and go down depending on whether he'd bonked his head or whatever but it never caused him any issues or hurt him. I'd get it checked out to be safe and see what's going on but hopefully it's like Nerd and isn't a issue and hopefully will go down once whatever happened heals.

 

[Tazlima]

Ahhh Im so scared now. Okay, I will give them a call right when I wake up in the morning and let my vet know what is going on and see if I can move her appointment closer.

Thank you for responding! So what is the chance that it isn't life threatening or something that I shouldn't be totally freaking out over?

Thanks @Zara, I appreciate your kind words.

Please don't freak out. It may be something really minor that will resolve on its own, and if it IS something that requires treatement, it's small and manageable right now.

I truly didn't mean to alarm you, I was just explaining why with eye things, it's better to get it seen right away, before it has the opportunity to become a serious problem.

 

[simon777]

I've just been trying to look as closely as possible at the photo and I think I can see more beginning of swellings right around that area. Please make the vet visit asap and watch carefully that she doesn't rub the eye against anything hard or scratch at it, you don't want the skin to get broken. Also try to relax.

 

[MahaSarah]

Thank you. I gave them a call and moved it to Friday! They said if it gets bigger to give them a call. Fingers crossed it isn't anything serious.