Red lesion on whippet's leg.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thank you for sending me the excellent photo of the lesion on your dog's leg:



It certainly is possible that this is the result of some type a scrape or injury. However, there is a possibility that it is something called a lick granuloma. A lick granuloma can start off with any sort of irritation and then just gets worse and worse as the dog licks at it. You mentioned that Niecy doesn't lick at it often, but it's possible that she is doing it at night time or when she is not being watched.

Lick granulomas are hard to treat. The way we usually treat them is to keep the dog from licking at it which often involves bandaging the area. (Be careful though...if you try to bandage it at home it is often very easy to put the bandage on too tight and that can cause serious problems. The hydrocortisone cream may help but often is not enough on its own.

Now, I can't say for certain that this is a lick granuloma without actually examining your dog. It may be a good idea to take a new photo of the leg every few days. If it doesn't seem to be improving in a week or if it is getting worse then I would have the vet take a look.

Hope things look up soon!

Dr. Marie

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