Why is my dog licking his tail and has a hard, U-shaped swelling?

Red’s anus does look irritated and I can see some redness on the underside of his tail as well. He might be licking due to irritation from full anal glands, parasites or allergies. I would recommend having your vet examine him and check his anal glands. They may want to check a stool sample as well. Oral or topical medications might help. I would recommend putting an e-collar on to prevent licking until you can get to the vet.

These skin changes are from licking and probably scooting or rubbing this area on the floor. This can be from Josie's anal sacs being full causing the area to be itchy. Anal sacs are on each side of the anus, they are like scent glands in a skunk. They have a foul smelling fluid in them. Normally when a dog defecates some fluid is discharged. If the sac opening becomes clogged the fluid can build up causing pressure, itchiness and often dogs will scoot on their rears. Sometimes they get infected and the area will become red, painful and puss may rupture through the skin. Having full anal sacs is more common with small dogs like Josie. Your veterinarian can manually express the fluid and give the dog relief. Some dogs need to have their annals expressed every few months. The skin under the tail should improve once the rubbing and irritation stop. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Josie.

I would recommend that you have your dog evaluated by a veterinarian. Possible causes of wounds in the area that you mentioned can be caused by anal gland infection or abscess, perianal fistula, or wounds caused by excessive scooting - which can be caused by intestinal parasites or allergies (fleas, food, environmental, etc). Until you can have your dog evaluated by a vet, it may need to wear an e-collar or cone to prevent licking these areas. Licking will spread bacteria and delay healing.

It does look like the area to the right of the anus is irritated. Dogs have anal glands besides their anus, so if Loki has been scooting, that may be an issue. I am attaching a link with more information about anal glands below. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=625 I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Loki and check his anal glands. Certainly, Loki could also be having a skin problem, so if his anal glands are normal, then your veterinarian can look for a skin infection to see if that may be the problem. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petcoach (now Boop).

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Charlie. This is typically a sign there is a problem around that area. Dogs when they have an area that bothers them they lick it a lot. Licking around this area could be due to impacted and/or infected anal sacs, fleas, or intestinal worms. Without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. The way to know for certain is to have him seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose what is causing this licking and can treat it, such as expressing his glands, prescribing flea medication, or giving him a deworming treatment. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to allergies, especially flea allergy dermatitis based on the location though other types of allergy cannot be ruled out. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Toby and for providing a picture of his lump, it's very helpful. That is quite a big lump, and he will be biting his tail because it's bothering him. This lump could be a cyst, abscess, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Unfortunately I cannot diagnose what it is without seeing him in person. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give his vet a call now to make him an appointment. Until he sees the vet, I would put an Ecollar on him to keep him from biting his tail further. If you don't have one at home already, you can buy one at a pet store. I hope this helps!