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My dog has chin bumps. How can I treat them at home before the vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 1 month old | 80 lbs

My 1 yr old lab has what appears to be cysts around chin. Over the last few weeks, they have gotten worse. We have a vet visit scheduled for next week. Is there anything we can do to treat them in the meantime?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Elva Ma DVM

Answered By Elva Ma DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 13th, 2018

Hello, and thank you for your question and photo! It looks like Trooper may have folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicles), caused by bacterial infection, demodex mites, fungal infection, or allergy. He will require a vet visit, but in the meantime, I would suggest wiping the muzzle area with a mild soap or chlorhexidine solution which you may be able to find at the pharmacy. This will hopefully keep the muzzle area clean until definitive treatment can be started at the vet. If Trooper is scratching at his muzzle, you may need to put an e-collar (cone) on his head to prevent further trauma to the area.

Once at the vet, they may recommend some tests such as a skin scraping, cytology, or fungal culture to rule out the above causes. From there, the appropriate medication can be prescribed.

I hope this helps, and that Trooper gets better soon!
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