Why is my golden retriever licking a leg lump and acting strange?

This looks like an area of skin infection. The smaller two bumps are pustules and the larger area is a pustule that has ruptured. Sometimes, if confined to a small area, these can be treated with topical antibacterial medication. If, however, it is more widespread your dog may need oral antibiotics. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please let us know!

Since the skin is broken and/or inflamed, Bruno should be physically examined by your veterinarian. He may need antibiotics, anti-inflammatories or both. If there is a lump or mass associated with the sore, it should be aspirated to collect samples for pathology. Use an e-collar (cone) to prevent Bruno from licking it.

Dolly has a lick granuloma. The staining you are seeing around it is from her saliva. Often times dogs lick a particular area due to underlying pain (ie: arthritis in the joint). Sometimes it can be that something irritated the skin which started the licking and the subsequent reaction. No way to tell just by looking at it. Here is a good article about this issue: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/lick-granuloma-in-dogs I recommend you get her to the vet for some treatment. Usually steroids and antibiotics are needed to clear this up. Also, she will need to wear a cone to stop the licking. No matter what you treat her with it will not get better if she continues to lick it. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

It looks like Lila may have what is called a hotspot (localized area of infection). When they lick the area they can make it extremely worse very fast. I recommend taking Lila to a veterinarian to get the area clipped up, cleaned up and have antibiotics +/- topical medication. I recommend in the mean time going to a pet store and getting an Elizabethan collar for her so she stops bothering the area. This does not look like mange. I hope see feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It looks like Betsy has a skin infection. If it feels like there is a lump underneath, it could indicate a skin tumor that now has a secondary infection. I would recommend to take her in for an exam. In the mean time, make her wear an Elizabethan collar to protect the area as licking it will make it worse. Wash it with an antibacterial soap and apply a topical antibiotic. I hope this helps!

Judging from the photos you provided, it looks as though Pilot has some swelling on his hind leg and a large amount of inflammation / redness on his skin. I would recommend having this examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Pilot likely needs to have all of the hair in the affected area shaved and his skin cleaned with an antiseptic solution. He will likely need to be on a course of an oral antibiotic and antiinflammatory as well. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Unfortunately it is hard to tell what that lump is just by the picture. I would recommend you take her in to see your vet for an exam and potentially a fine needle aspirate of this lump. A fine needle aspirate is a way to try to exfoliate cells from the lump and look at them under the microscope to try to tell what this lump is. Even if it is a benign lump, she may need to have it removed if she continues to lick it. She also may need topical treatment or potentially antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatories if the lump is infected or causing her pain. I often recommend taking lumps off of legs sooner, as they are easier and generally less expensive to remove and close the skin when they are small. Large lumps on limbs can be quite difficult to remove, as there isn't much additional skin in this area to close over the wound.