Huge boil? Can I pop it? Pictures

[Joe King Lee]

What on earth is that thing on my dog? It looks like a huge boil, but I don't know. Is it serious? It is maybe 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. It is not hard, more like a balloon that is low on air. I can squeeze it a little and she does not seem to notice at all. I'm afraid she might scratch it open and it could get infected. The good news is it doesn't seem to bother her at all. She's a black lab, maybe 7 or 8 years old.

Is this something I can take care of myself if someone prescribes a tranquilizer and suture kit for her? I don't have enough money to take her to the Veterinarian, and I don't want this to go untreated. I'm afraid this may cost in the hundreds at the Veterinarian's.

Please see the pictures. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Whizzy]

If you can't afford to take her to the Veterinarian, leave it alone. There are a lot of possibilities of what it could be, and some of them would definately be made worse by you messing with it. Leave it alone for now, save some money to take her to the Veterinarian, and keep an eye on it. It might be one of those things that will resolve on it's own, or get no worse over time. But if it gets larger, if it breaks open, or if she develops more of them, she really needs to be seen by a Veterinarian.

[Joe King Lee]

Originally Posted by Whizzy

Leave it alone for now, save some money to take her to the Veterinarian, and keep an eye on it. It might be one of those things that will resolve on it's own, or get no worse over time.

OK, this is kind of wierd, I click "reply" and I get told I don't have permission or are not logged in (even though I am). However clicking "quote" lets me reply.

Anyway, thanks for responding. I am worried about just leaving it alone. I also have a Chesapique Bay Retriever, and she loves to bite lightly and nip at the lab's face and head when they are playing. She leads the lab around by the ears. The lab doesn't mind, but I am afraid the retriever might pop it accidently when playing, and maybe even end up getting some infected stuff in her mouth.

Any thoughts about that?

[Whizzy]

If it's some sort of cyst, like a sebaceous cyst (very common), it won't hurt anything if it does break open. Just clean it up with some Betadine and apply antibiotic ointment, and keep an eye on it. Sebaceous cysts are really just blocked oil glands that can swell to alarming proportions. But they're usually completely harmless.

If it's an infected sebaceous cyst, the same applies, only have your Veterinarian take a look at it, as she'll probably need oral antibiotics.

If your other dog gets some of the material contained in the cyst in her mouth, it won't hurt her a bit. Even if the cyst is infected, or even if it's not a cyst but something else.

But considering that there's no way of knowing what this is without a Veterinarian looking at it, it's best for you to either have a Veterinarian examine it or leave it alone.