My dog has a red, scabby, solid bump on her head. Is it ringworm?

Question

This bump appeared on my dogs head four days ago. It's red usually has a scab and raised up. It feels pretty solid. I'm very worried. At first I thought it was ringworm because she also had a small circular scab on her leg as well so I have been putting miconazole on it. She is a pointer and pit mix she is about three and a half years old. Pet's info: Dog | German Shorthaired Pointer (duplicate) | Female | spayed | 3 years and 6 months old | 70 lbs

Rebeccah Wood · Accepted Answer

Hello there! Considering her age and breed, the lump on Skye's head is most likely a benign mass called a histiocytoma. Only a vet can diagnose this for sure, but this is the most likely cause. The mass on the leg may also be a histiocytoma, as the head, face, legs, and feet are the most common locations for them to grow, and if a dog has one, they are more likely to have multiple over their lifetime. A histiocytoma can be unsightly, but they usually go away on their own after a few months. Some owners elect to have them removed if they keep getting scratched or infected, and this is usually curative at that location. There are other conditions that could cause lumps like these (though they are less likely, like a viral infection or cancer), and a visit to your vet will help to determine what that might be. The vet will give Skye a full physical exam, and they will likely take a small sample of cells from within the lumps with a small needle - a procedure called a fine needle aspirate, or FNA. This may not give a definitive diagnosis, but it can be helpful in ruling out more worrisome issues. It can also help the vet decide if the lumps need to come off for further testing, but I'd be surprised if this was the case. I recommend that you take Skye to visit the vet to confirm the lumps' cause, but it's not an emergency. Good luck, and I hope Skye's lumpiness clears up soon!

My dog has a red, scabby, solid bump on her head. Is it ringworm?

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