My dog has a skin tag with a rash. Is it serious or just common?

That mass could be several things. Red raised hairless masses can be benign growths such as warts, histiocytomas, reactions or infected hair follicles. They can unfortunately also be malignant grows such as Mast Cell Tumor or Plasmacytoma. I would recommend to have it checked out by the vet who may be better able to tell how concerned you should be by palpating the mass and the surrounding lymphnodes. The good news is that the majority of masses are benign but it's always better to be safe. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I would highly recommend taking Bella to a vet for an aspirate as soon as possible. My concern if the mass gets bigger and smaller is a possible mast cell tumor. This is a type of skin cancer and the mass should be removed. Your vet should be able to place a small needle into the mass and look at the cells under a microscope to determine what it is. IF the mass is only a cyst/non cancerous growth it does not have to be surgically removed. However if you feel like it is hurting her/causing discomfort I would recommend removing it

This lump/bump/growth should be ideally examined by your local vet to have a diagnosis established. Your vet may want to perform an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy to sample the bump and determine its underlying nature. Differentials would include skin cysts, infections, benign or more malignant type of tumors. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are seeing appears to be a rash that could be secondary to chafing. In a young active dog chafing can be common from high activity due to the friction leading to the redness and inflammation that you are seeing currently. I typically recommend using a spray such as malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the area until resolved. This spray will have a steroid in it to reduce inflammation and redness. It also has an antibacterial component to it so that if there is a secondary bacterial infection in this area it will help treat that. To help prevent future episodes, I typically recommend applying a greasy ointment in the armpit area such as Biobalm. This is a product that you can find online quite easily. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have.

I am sorry to hear about Zoe. I would definitely recommend bringing her in to the vet to have this growth examined. If it is refilling with blood quickly it would be best to remove the growth surgically because we would be concerned there could be a large blood vessel associated with it and trauma could cause it to break open and have excessive bleeding. We would also want to be sure this is not a more serious growth than a skin tag because there are some more aggressive tumors of the skin such as cutaneous hemangiosarcoma that need to be treated more aggressively.

Thank you for your question, and including a picture-this is very helpful. This little lump is likely something benign like a skin tag or similar, but I always recommend that if an owner notices changes in color, size or shape of a lump, especially if it is growing quickly, that it be evaluated by your veterinarian. If you are very concerned it would not be wrong to request that the lump be removed, then it can be submitted for review by a pathologist to let you know exactly what it is. You could always arrange to have Mieya's teeth cleaned at the same time, small breed dogs are prone to dental disease and this is a good age to start preventative dental care!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I do not think this is anything to be worried about right now. Just point it out to the vet at Skippy's next veterinary appointment. Sometimes these skin tags will change colors but that doesn't necessarily mean it is a problem. Rarely will skin tags turn into a malignancy. Of course, if you are worried about it there is no harm in having your vet check it out now. Hope this helps. Best wishes.