[Gmessier]

My 1 year old pit mix has what I believe is a histiocytoma on the back of his hind leg. It is located at the top of his lower thigh where his knee bends directly in the middle. When I first noticed, it was about the diameter of a pea, lumpy just popping up with the hair still attached to the skin.

I took him to his vets office at the first appointment they had available, which was within the week. The vet was one we had never had before in a too small room. He was instantly visibly uneasy with my 70lbs dog, which made Lincoln uneasy. Basically he barely examined the areas of concern, never even telling me what it was. He just said "not to worry about it."

The histiocytoma is now much larger, and raised significantly from his skin. Due to this my dog will not stop licking it. He's noticed it there, and has become obsessed with licking it making it raw, and bleed. It even had a slight odor today.

I tried applying antibiotic ointment, and then wrapping it in gauze using paper tape. Then I tried the ointment, gauze and duct tape. He wouldn't stop licking it so I put a fabric muzzle on him. It restricts the amount he is able to open his mouth, but he is still able to drink or in this case lick the area. The duct tape on top worked great at protecting his leg from him, but I am unable to prevent the histiocytoma from popping out of the top.

I've tried to apply the combo to my dogs leg in several different ways. Due to the location nothing is working to prevent him of being able to access the area without restricting the movement of his leg. I am unsure of how I can prevent him from messing with the area so it can heal firstly, and then to keep him from licking it raw once again. His neck is thick, very close to the size of his head, so he can get a cone off easily.

I need a remedy I can do at home. I am traveling for the holiday, and he is going to be watched by a family member while I am away. I can't have it surgically removed before the holiday, and if possible would like to avoid surgery as I read these often clear up on their own.

[mogrann]

When you put a cone on do you tie it to his collar? There are loops on the cone and you thread through them then tie it around his collar. I have done tied it around the collar in a few places not just at the end. I have a 74 lb dog and have used cones successfully on him.
What about a clean sock? Would that help as well? You may need to take him to the vet to get it checked out for the bleeding. Can you see if you can see your regular vet and not the one that your dog felt uneasy around?

[Sariss]

How do you know for sure it is a histiocytoma? Was there an aspirate done to confirm? I only ask because, while they are common in certain breeds like pits, so are more sinister lumps like mast cell tumours, which can have a similar look (as well as maaaany other looks).

That is in a very tricky spot to try to prevent licking. You may have to consider removal, even if it is just a histiocytoma - while they often do spontaneously go away, some do not, and one that is constantly irritated most likely won't.