Dog chewed tail, now has black bump & hair loss. Could it be cancer?

Question

My dog has been chewing on his tail for the past few weeks and looking at his tail today I noticed a black bump and the hair has fallen out around it. Internet searches are coming back as skin cancer. What could this be? Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Male | neutered | 9 years and 8 months old | 10 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

The black bump could be trauma from chewing on his tail (which is a sign of itchiness), or it could be a tumor (benign or malignant). I would take Bentley into the vet for an exam. The vet can determine if the bump is caused by constantly chewing on his tail, or if it is caused by something else. To check to see if it a tumor, the vet can perform a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take Bentley into the vet tomorrow for an exam.

Dog chewed tail, now has black bump & hair loss. Could it be cancer?

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