My dog has a growing spot on her nose. What is it and what can I do?

Ouch! Due to how inflamed that looks I would definitely schedule a vet visit ASAP. Sudden growths/irritations like that can be due to a number of things including bacterial infections, tumors, irritation from digging/rubbing at the spot too much, allergies, etc so it's good to see your vet. They'll likely want to take a sample of the area to determine what is going on and how best to treat it. In the meantime, it's a good idea to place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Nova to keep her from rubbing at the spot, as well as keep the area clean and dry. If the area is rapidly growing in size, taking note of the size, color, shape changes, etc can help your vet better determine what is going on. If you are noticing any other symptoms (sneezing, fever, loss of appetite, etc) these are important to let your vet know as well.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal infection). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

A lesion like that could be several things including an ingrown hair, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection or a skin tumor/mass. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion once a day (not her whole body, just the lesion). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion does not start improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Ouch! That is a concerning sign, especially since the bump is a different color from the regular skin, and is growing in size. Since it's hard to tell what a bump is without an exam and sample (biopsy, fine needle aspirate), it's best to bring Coco into your vet to have it looked at. They can take the sample, check what kind of growth it is, and safely remove it if needed. In the meantime, keeping an eye on how fast it's growing/size, and keeping Coco from pawing at it or rubbing it can help keep it from getting infected or more irritated.

If the spot has changed in size over time it wouldn't hurt to have your vet take another look at it, especially if the change was very rapid over the past few days or weeks. Your vet may recommend taking a sample of the spot for testing to help determine what it may be so it can be treated as needed. Growths like this can be caused by any number of things including rubbing the spot often on surfaces, cysts, blisters, allergies, etc, so having it examined if it is changing is best.

Poor Xena! If it has been growing, it wouldn't hurt to bring her back into the vet and have a sample taken. This can help determine if it's just discoloration or if there is something more serious ongoing. Another good thing to do is take photos of the spot over time, with a ruler or other measurable item next to it. This can help you and your vet see if the area is growing, and by how much and how quickly which is useful in determining what is going on.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid rubbing/scratching if any. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.