My dog's shoulder bump has a black scab that won't heal. What is it?

I would not be too worried at this point. It may be a benign cyst. But I would make an appointment with your veterinarian at your earliest convenience. They can examine this bump and may aspirate it (poke it with a small needle) and look at the cells under the microscope to determine what it is. Hope all turns out just fine!

This may be an abscesses, cysts or tumors. You should have them examined by your veterinarian. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

I see that Tyson is a boxer, and they can be prone to mast cell tumors. Of course this could be a scab, but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. 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 in the morning to make him an appointment. I hope this helps.

It would be helpful to see a picture of the lesion (you can submit photos by selecting "consult online" below your answer), but without seeing it I'd say that it could be a rupturing cyst, a foreign body (depends on where on the body it is - very common on the feet), or a tumor (mast cell tumors can get inflamed and scab over - histiocytomas do as well). If it's been there a couple of weeks, it's probably time to have it looked at in order to figure out exactly what it is. Bulldogs are prone to mast cell tumors, and they can be quite serious if not removed.

This is likely a tumor that needs to be examined and possibly removed by your veterinarian, since it keeps growing back. Please take your dog to your vet soon,. The vet will likely want to do a Fine needle aspirate to determine what type of mass it is and whether it needs to be removed.

From your description it sounds like Cocoa has a ruptured cyst or possibly an abscess. Poodles and other dogs with "hair-like" coats are more prone to cyst formation. Most do not rupture, but occasionally they can become infected or inflammed and ruptured. If the area becomes red, irritated, continues to to have discharge or if Cocoa begins licking or scratching at the area, she should be seen by your veterinarian.

It sounds like this is some kind of skin growth. Dogs can develop melanomas of the skin along with many other benign growths. I would recommend having your vet take a look - they might recommend taking a sample with a small needle to determine what this might be, or they might recommend going ahead and removing it.