Lower leg problems

Question
I have an 11 year old Red Nose Pit and lately he has been having problems moving around. We noticed he has a lump on his leg right above were his paw would start ( I thought it might be calcium buildup, but not sure) Can you give any advice if I should take him to the VET ASAP or will it go away? Is this part of him getting older?

Answer
If the lump feels like soft tissue, then it may just be a lipoma (fatty tumor) that older dogs sometimes get, and are generally harmless.  If it is hard, it could be something else.  You have two options - keep an eye on it to see if grows rapidly or begins to cause him pain or discomfort, or take him to the vet so they can aspirate it (take some cells and look at them under a microscope) and find out exactly what it is.

Amanda