My dog keeps licking a black hard bulge on his old wound. What is it?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That's good to hear you've been keeping the area clean and that is doesn't appear to be bothering him. However, I would recommend this get checked out with Hershey's veterinarian soon. The bump may be allergy related or could be an abscess, swelling due to fracture of the digit, or could be an mass/tumor. Until you can get Hershey seen by his veterinarian, I would recommend Epsom salt water baths for the paw 2-3 times daily for 5-10 mins to help reduce swelling.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely infected. I think it would be best to have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check the extent of the wounds and see what would be best to treat them. What you can do in the meantime is use an e-collar in the to prevent further injury. You can buy that at your local pet store or online. Good luck and have a great day!

This presentation could be due to a trauma (possibly presence of a small foreign body) 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 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. . 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.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is very hard to say what the growth is without seeing and examining Tonny. It does not really look like a healed part of the stopper pad, so it could be a skin growth. If Tonny keeps licking the area you definitely should take him to your local vets for an appointment. For now, please use a head cone or bandage up the leg for 24hrs to stop him from nibbling on the leg as this could introduce skin inflammation and infection.

Swelling could be secondary to the licking or the cause for the licking. I would recommend you have your vet check it out. Allergies are probably the most common cause of licking the feet, but it can also be caused by fleas, bacterial or yeast infection pain in the foot or joint, a sticker or something under the skin, etc. After an exam, the vet may do a cytology or x-rays to see what is going on. Until Justice sees the vet, you may want to prevent licking by using an e-collar, since licking it may cause damage and infection in the skin.

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 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.

Yes this looks like an infected interdigital cyst. Please put a restraint collar on Prada to stop the licking and clean the area with antibacterial soap twice a day until healed. Leave it open to the air, no bandage. If it doesn't look like it's improving an exam with your veterinarian is recommended probably with a course of antibiotics.