Whats this on Gemmas leg?

[carmadham]

After months of fortnightly vet trips for one thing or another i finally managed to take my aunts GSD Gemma to the vets this week without having to make another appointment as i left.

Last night i got a message from my aunt saying she had a tick on her leg.

I looked at it today and i don't think its a tick but what is it?

I would be grateful for any advise, we'll go to the vets if need be but would be good to hear from anyone who may have seen this before.

Thanks Graham

[AdiT]

Looks like an engorged tick to me.

[Stickyfinger]

AdiT said:

Looks like an engorged tick to me.

Tick......remove with special tool or at vets.....AND, get the dog checked for Lyme disease.

http://www.dogsandticks.com/diseases_and_symptoms/

[carmadham]

Thanks for the replies, i have not had experience of ticks before.

The reason i thought it wasn't a tick was that i cant lift it up at all.

I thought if it were a tick it would be attached by its mouth so its back end would lift up?

I will go back to my aunt's in the morning and see if i can remove it

[moorx]

I have to say I don't think it looks like a tick - it looks too big to me. And yes, it would only be attached in a very small area.

Don't try to remove it unless you are absolutely sure it is a tick. If it is, the best tool is an O'Tom tick remover.

[carmadham]

moorx, i'm no expert but what you are saying is what i was thinking.

You can see it's nearly finger nail size and it feels more part of the dog than attached to it if that makes sense?

[interstellar]

In the photo there looks like some fur is growing out of it in several places. If so, its clearly not a tick.

[carmadham]

intersteller, agreed there does appear to be hair growing through it in the photos.

I will check this in the morning.

I have a feeling we will be off to the vets again..

[moorx]

interstellar said:

In the photo there looks like some fur is growing out of it in several places. If so, its clearly not a tick.

Yes, my OH noticed this when I showed him the photo. He also doesn't think it's a tick.

[Pesty]

Doesn't look like any ticks I've ever seen on my dogs.

They tend to look like smooth grey little ball shape things.

[Boosted LS1]

Some dogs get a skin irritation and the skin can grow hard and warty. I suspect it's a hardened bit of skin.

[FGB]

Looks more like a wart to me - I wouldn't be trying to remove it - Suspect it's nothing to worry about but get the vet to look at it at next checkup.

[Boosted LS1]

They may take a biopsy if it's inflamed but I suspect it's quite normal. I once saw a boxer dog that had a few lumps like that. There was nothing wrong with them but the owner kept having them removed. I'm surprised the gog survived the anaesthetic.

[jmsgld]

Thant is 100% not a tick, it is a growth of some sort, probably benign but the only way to tell would be to take a biopsy.
Either a fine needle aspirate in the consult room or an excisional biopsy (ie remove it and send it to the lab).
There is not a lot of spare skin in that location so if it going to be removed it is better to do it sooner rather than later, whilst it is at it's smallest, that is presuming it will grow which it may not do significantly...

Lumps that are growing quickly or bothering the dog are always more concerning, but it still warrants another vet visit I'm afraid.

Boxers are very prone to a particular type of skin cancer that can be very nasty, if you left it until the dog was unwell then it would be too late. Anaesthetic risk these days in an otherwise healthy dog is minimal.

Edited by jmsgld on Sunday 20th November 13:11

[Boosted LS1]

jmsgld said:

Boxers are very prone to a particular type of skin cancer that can be very nasty, if you left it until the dog was unwell then it would be too late. Anaesthetic risk these days in an otherwise healthy dog is minimal.

Edited by jmsgld on Sunday 20th November 13:11

Thanks. The boxer I referred to had several similar lumps on it's front legs iirc. It was my neighbours dog, maybe 30 years ago. I think it lived to a reasonable age unlike their tropical fish which ended up being killed by the fresh rain water from the asbestos garage roof, muppet.

[carmadham]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I had another look today and it's definitely a lump rather than a tick.

It seemed to appear overnight.

I'm back round my aunt's on Tuesday and if it's no better i will get her booked in at the vets.

[Thevet]

was never a tick would suggest removal and histopath, think fine needle aspirate which is much less invasive would cause bleeding. Mast cell tumour, histiocytoma and angiosarcoma would be top of my list. MCT worries most vets but early diag is vital and often effective. HTH

[Nom de ploom]

tick removal with pure alcohol no need to worry about leaving anything behind like bits of blood or mouthparts if you prize it off.

cotton bud, wipe the tick with the alcohol, give it an hour it should drop off. work on one our dog had.

[interstellar]

What happened here OP?