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My dog's tail base is red, itchy, and has a bump. What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | unspayed | 5 years and 11 months old

My dog is really itchy near her back tail and I noticed today a rough bump on and she is very red on her skin and itchy what could this possibly be?

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 17th, 2016

It could be an allergic reaction to an insect bite or a traumatic wound. Itchy bumps are almost always allergic in nature however. You can try topical soothing creams (sold at your local pet store) for allergic reactions, and cleaning it with chlorhexidine solution 3% or iodine diluted 50:50 with warm water. This will help some with the inflammation. If it still isn't better after 24-48 hrs then it is best to have your vet take a look at it and potentially give her stronger medications to treat it.

14Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
She could have a flea allergy dermatitis so you should check her thoroughly for fleas. I recommend that you use a monthly flea prevention, like Frontline, NexGard, or Advantage. If you don't see any fleas or flea dirt than she may just have a bacterial skin infection or seasonally allergies. You could bathe her with a medicated dog shampoo to see if that helps. If it continues than she should be examined by a vet for treatment.
9Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on September 8th, 2021
It looks like she has a dermatitis/skin infection which could be caused by an allergy. You can bathe her with an anti-microbial shampoo but she likely needs an antibiotic and other medications to treat. Please call your vet and schedule an exam. Also, make sure she is on a good flea/tick prevention every month.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on November 14th, 2017
Those little pustules are likely a bacterial infection. However, there is usually an underlying problem such as environmental allergies or fleas or food allergies that tend to trigger these infections. I would definitely recommend that she be evaluated by a veterinarian soon. They will likely recommend medication for the ear and the skin and discuss ways to help treat the underlying problem (most common would be environmental allergies). Best of luck and I hope she improves soon!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 13th, 2017
She may have allergies with a secondary bacterial skin infection. It sounds like she needs to be examined by a vet for treatment. An antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or a corticosteroid may help treat her condition. You can also bathe her with a medicated dog shampoo and see if that helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Itching around the base of the spine/top of tail is frequently indicative of fleas or flea allergy complicated by a skin infection. A good quality flea treatment and a soothing skin ointment suitable for use on dogs should be applied; a full vet visit is recommended if it persists beyond 7days or spreads further to rule out bacterial or fungal infection

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My dog has a red, bleeding bump on her tail from chewing. What to do?

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My dog's tail sore came back, spreading, with a new painful bump. Why?

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What causes itchy lumps with black specs on my dog's skin and tail?

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas.   The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc.   The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too.    I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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Why does my dog have sudden bumps on her back and tail that popped?

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My dog has a tail bump. Can I treat it at home before a vet visit?

I'm suspicious that this is due to trauma given the appearance and the fact that it just showed-up. This can happen when they get their tail caught under something (like a car tire). It doesn't look like something that needs to go to the vet right away, so it's OK to treat it and monitor it at home for now. If it doesn't get better in 2 weeks, or it starts to look worse, then I'd recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation. Here are my recommendations for treatment: 1) Ice the area for 15 minutes twice a day. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 2 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 3) Bandage the wound with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Oakley from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Oakley from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the end of the tail start to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. I hope that helps and Oakley gets better soon.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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