Bump on tail tip.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for your question. Is there any chance you could take a picture of what you are seeing on Emma's tail? If you can you can send it as a reply to the email you got telling you that I had responded to your question.

There are a number of things that can cause a bump at the tip of the tail. In a 3 year old dog it is very unlikely to be a cancerous tumor.

It's possible that Emma had a cut or some sort of a wound on her tail and now it has become infected. If this is the case she will probably need antibiotics prescribed by the vet.

Sometimes wounds at the end of the tail are hard to heal because every time she wags her tail or hits it on something it will get injured again!

It's also possible that it is a viral wart, although I have never seen one of these on the tail tip. These look like a cauliflower type of growth and are usually pink in color. Viral warts do go away on their own but can take a few weeks or months. Vets can prescribe an antibiotic called azithromycin that can clear up viral warts quickly.

I have seen some dogs get cysts on their tail as well. Sometimes these need surgery in order to go away.

While it does sound like Emma should see the vet, I don't think you need to rush in this weekend for an emergency visit. You may want to try to cover the tip of the tail so she is not bothering with it. One of the best ways to do this is to use a baby sock to put over the tip of the tail and then use either medical tape or duct tape to attach the sock to the tail.

Feel free to send a picture if you can!

Dr. Marie.

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