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What is this raw, chewed lump on my dog's leg and why chew it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 9 years and 11 months old | 65 lbs

My dog has this lump on her front leg above the joint that looked raw like from when I first noticed it. She is now constantly biting/chewing at it and now it has a hole in it. I wrapped it with bag balm ointment. It looks like it can or may get infected. What is it and if it was a skin tumor why is she chewing at it?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 6th, 2017

Dogs will chew at lumps if they are painful or annoying to the dog. On Pepper, this lump could be a cyst, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. 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 it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Pepper seen by a vet tomorrow to have the lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated.
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