Removing a skin tag
91When our dog Brutus was 11 years old we noticed a skin tag growing between his front legs. We visited the vets and was told that it was not a problem, and would not harm the dog, but to keep an eye on it.
Two years later, the skin tag had grown into a 4 inch (10cm) dangling droplet of floppy skin that was truly unsightly.
I started to notice whilst out walking with him that perfect strangers would stop and stare at him and children would laugh. Brutus didn't much care either way, if it got him an extra scratch behind the ear he was a happy boy. I, on the other hand started to find it embarrassing, I felt like these people were judging me thinking "why on earth has she not had that awful thing removed".
I kept checking the tag every day for nics and bleeding however it always felt cold to the touch leading me to believe that there couldn't be much blood flowing into it.
You can see in the picture below how large the skin tag was prior to taking him to the vets, you can see it just behind his left arm pit laying on the carpet.
Skin tag before
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I was worried that he might catch it whilst snuffling around in the garden, thus creating a bigger problem than we already had so I took him to the vets.
"Oh yes, it is a large skin tag isn't it?" stated the vet. Er....doh, really.
He explained to me that it could be removed through surgery but as Brutus was getting on in years he thought that it would be best to try and tie it off! Tie it off.. I asked, what does that entail?
He explained the process telling me that he would tie some thin line (like fishing line) around the top of the tag close to his chest and tie it as tightly as he could to stop the blood flow. It would smart a bit so I had to hold Brutus head so he didn't take a chunk out of the vet.
So, I held onto Brutus, gently talking to him whilst he tried to take side long glances at the vet trying to see what he was up to. Vet man (lets call him Bruce) told me to brace Brutus head as he pulled the line tight. Brutus let out a whimper and thrashed around a little but within about 30 seconds he seemed to have forgotten it had happened.
Bruce explained to me that within a few days the blood within the tag would start to dry up as the flow had been cut off and over about a week would shrivel up, turn black and fall off.
Bruce explained that initially the tag could swell up so it would be a good idea to put him in a t-shirt to keep the tag close to his chest so he did not catch it or try to scratch it with his back paws.
So as you can see from the next two photos, I willingly gave up my superman t-shirt for him to wear, personally I think it looks better on Brutus than it ever did on me, and we waited with anticipation for it to start swelling up.
After removal - wearing Superman t-shirt
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Holy goodness did it swell up...... it was massive. Within a couple of days it was about the size of a tennis ball and the skin was very stretched around it. It was starting to weep quite badly reducing us to having to change his t-shirt twice a day. My hubby would hold the ginormous tag so it didn't pull and I would switch the t-shirts over.
Brutus seemed completely unaware of what was happening to him, it did not effect his eating, drinking or going for daily walks (yes, wearing the t-shirt - he became part of the elite group, that is, wearer of doggy fashion) and yes it was commented on more than once!
So, after another 4 or 5 days the tag was showing no signs of shrivelling up it was still the same size and still weeping profusely, so it was time to visit Bruce again.
I could tell from his face that it wasn't meant to look like that, he explained to me that it wasn't tied off tightly enough and a small amount of blood was still getting through into the tag and keeping it alive. Time to tie it off again.
Brutus cried with a little yelp, I think the skin near his chest must have been quite sore at this point, but again after about 30 seconds he seemed unaware of it.
Luckily Brutus is a very laid back, relaxed dog, anything other and he may have reacted very differently to this treatment and all the t-shirt changing.
Home we went and continued with the t-shirt changing and the twice daily tag check and amazingly within about 3 days it was black and flattened by Brutus laying on it.
A day or two later whist vacuming the living room carpet I found the deposited skin tag on the floor. I checked Brutus chest and there was hardly any sign at all that it had ever been there.
Bruce admitted to me when we went back for Brutus check up that he had never tied off a skin tag so big before but was pleased with the results. Although he did tell me that there was a good chance that it may grow back again.
Brutus is now almost 16 years old and has never grown another skin tag, thank goodness!!
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Thanks so much for your story. I have an old Dachshund with a skin tag in the same area as your dog's. It is not quite as big but growing steadily. The vet wouldn't do much about it because of his age and that it is purely cosmetic. I tied it off yesterday and it swelled up. I was worried I did something wrong which is why I was on here searching this subject. I'm glad I read your story. I hope his tag falls off within a few days.
Thank you for reading my hub, you are brave to tie it off yourself! Just remember, if it doesn't start to shrink within a few days, tie it off even tighter. Good luck
Thank you so much for this post!!!! Our dog Luna actually looks a lot like yours, and has the tag in exactly the same place (smaller tag though about 2 inches). And we tried to tie it a few days ago and it blew up into almost the size of a golf ball. After reading, we have tightened it much more and gave her a tshirt to stop licking it.
The photos helped so much. We are hoping for the drop soon!
Thanks
Gisel
You are very welcome, good luck and I hope your dog is tag free soon.
thanks so much for your story and pictures, Im taking my ridgeback x dog to the vet tomorrow for a skin tag that has a lot of blood in it and is weeping a little...see what our vet does or says..
My 10 year old golden retriever has a skin tag on her lip. It is the size of a large grape and very unsightly. My vet suggested I leave it alone but our tech told us of the tie off method. It swelled up immediately and started weeping also. Glad to hear this is normal, tech recommended tightening tie everyday or 2 to insure cut-off. Sure hopes this works thanks for your story.
My ten year old chihuahua also had a skin tag where your dog used to as well. When I first took it to the vet and showed the doctor she said it didn't need to be taken out and the only way they could do it was to put him on a general anaesthetic. Obviously I didn't want to do this so I just left it alone. But then it grew quite long - to about 2 cm. Then one day it turned very red and black and got bigger so I thought I should try your method. I tied a piece of string around it and at first it swelled up quite big and started blistering and then it just turned red. I figured I didn't tie it tight enough so I tied another piece of string on tighter and it gradually went smaller and black and fell off this morning. From my tying the first string on to today it took about a week.
Basically, I just want to say thanks for sharing your story; it provided me with an effective and cost-free treatment for my dog. Had I not read your story I would have taken him to the vet and he would have had to had the surgery.
I am really pleased you enjoyed my hub and saved a few pennies too!
Thanks for your input. My sister-in-law works for a vet and told us to do the same thing (but using a rubberband) for our dog. It looked like she had an infected nipple then got so large I had to do something! We have been at it for 2 days and I'm going to add sting today to get it tighter. Thanks for the tshirt idea (we put a blanket down where she lays an have been washing it alot). I hope hers falls off before Christmas Day when we have a bunch of people coming over! Then on to smaller ones on her. Oh, hers' is by her last set of nipples (by her back legs) but huge like your's.
Tell me its is ok to do this??? Our poor tbone has a large hanging tag. I can hardly look at it.
Our vet did it for us, so if you are unsure visit your vets and ask them to do it for you. I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself if you are worried.
i had a dog which we named QB...and he also has that skin tag..at first we thought that it was just a simple bump on his skin...but we were shock when we notice that its was getting big as the days go by...and yesterday..he accidentally bit that skin bump and there was a lot of blood who had gone out of that bump...then this morning, it happened again..my older sister told me to do this tie off and she told me that i should read this entry of your...we will also do this tie off Technic and hope to get a good result...
My dog has had two skin tags as long as I've owned him. His previous owner did have them checked by the vet to make sure they were benign but as you know they are not too pretty. I was just wondering if it was expensive to have it tied off by the vet? I had thought of doing it myself but after reading that it must be really tight & might swell up I'm not sure I'd have the nerve...
If you are worried I would suggest you visit your vet to 'do the deed', it can be done quickly during a normal visit, I don't think we paid any extra, just the consultation fee, then two visits after to have it checked as the one Brutus had swelled up very big (although this was the fault of the vet as he had not tied it off tight enough. Good luck and hope my hub has helped.
I'm so glad I found this! Last year my dog had a tag that looked similar to your dog's. I don't know why, but without tying it off, it swelled up to the size of a gold ball and started leaking one day. I didn't know what was happening so I called my vet. She said it was probably about to fall off but if I felt uncomfortable about it I could bring her in. I ended up cancelling the appointment the morning of as the tag had shriveled and fallen off by then. The only problem is, it's grown back! I think I'm going to leave it alone because of his age.
I was just so happy to find this page because I was getting a little worried that this was more serious. I just lost my beloved 15 year old pit bull to cancer after two months of expensive chemotherapy, and I couldn't take losing my other dog right now.
I meant golf ball, not "gold" ball. Sorry for all the typos--I obviously neglected to proofread before posting!
I am so sorry to hear about your loss, we lost Brutus not long after I wrote this hub and it was terrible. Good luck with the skin tag.
Thanks so much for your post! My german shorthair has one about this big on his back leg... I tied it off two days ago. It got swollen yesterday with no change to it today. Tied it again today hoping to get it tighter. I am assuming that since it hasn't gotten worse in the last day, it is okay...? Because it is so large, I would think it would take a little longer to dry up. I am crossing my fingers this works, because I am not going to be able to get the string off if it doesn't.
Counting the days til it turns black and shrivels!
Thanks for the story... I own a very large Rottweiler, Cuda he is 6 years old (rottweilers live about 8-10 years) and has a skin-tag on what I call his elbow, compared to Brutus's it is very small. I really do not think that it is hurting or even bothering Cuda, but it looks gross and people ask about it, I do not know what to say to them. It showed up about a year ago and has only gotten bigger but is not huge, about 1/4 of an inch long and 1/8 inch thick. I am a college student and am having trouble finding a vet who will let me make payments. I do not know if it needs to be removed or not and like I said finding a vet that will tell me anything with out full payment upon the visits end they wont help him. I am good at first aid on horses and dogs being around them all my life (stitches, muscle shots, blood stream shots, even held an artery on a horse that was attacked by courage tell vet arrived elbow deep in a horse chest at 15.) Needless to say I believe that I can do the "fishing line" trick on Cuda. I guess my question is should I? Does anyone know if I can do more harm than good to my boy? Cuda is not aggressive in any way. please help if you have any advice we would really like to here
Hi there, sorry for the late reply. You could attempt to tie it off yourself as you have had some experience in the past. I would personally advise going to the vets as we did just in case. You could try the PDSA for free treatment or offer a small donation or some of your voluntary time to pay for the work - it's worth a try!!
If you do attempt to tie it off yourself, remember to tie it very tight so it cuts off the blood supply totally. If it begins to swell up you know blood is still getting through and will need to tie it again but tighter. I hope you get on ok, let me know if you are brave enough to try it yourself, i'm sure others will be interested too. Thanks for reading.
Just tied my dogs off a few minutes ago using 100lb braided fishing line with a constrictor knot. Hopefully i tied it off tight enough. After just a few minutes it seems to be getting darker, is this a good sign? It is pretty big probably 3" in length.
we are now 6 hours deep and it is almost completely black! but it seems to be swelling a little bit. should i tie another one tighter? if so, on top or bottom of the original? thanks for any help!
Only just viewed your message.... I hope that your 'tie off' was successful? If it turned black it was almost certainly cutting off the supply which is a good sign.
Did you have to tie it off again? How is your dog now?
Yup, I tied another one, and it bled for 2 days. I went through 4 t shirts. Now on day 3 it looks like a giant raisin! So I hoping it falls off in the next few days. Looking back, im not sure i needed the second knot. I got scared when it swelled up.
Well done, it sounds like you have tied it off successfully! It should fall off soon by the sound of it.
It fell off!!! It was stuck in between his chest and the t-shirt! Thanks for posting this, I had thought about doing this for a long time but didn't have the guts. Sure glad I did it was gonna cost a fortune for the vet to do it.
Thank-you for writing this article, my little dog has a big skin tag hanging on her lower eye. We had tied it off on Friday but it has swelled up and blood is coming out of it, I was searching on line to see if that was "normal" and glad I found your post, so that I know those signs are normal. We tied another peice of floss tight around it this morning, tied it tight and hoping it will fall off, it really blocks my dogs vision and bothers her, she is 14 yrs old.
Oh bless her, I really hope it all goes well. It sounds like she will be very grateful once it is removed...good luck!
Skypie,
Was it oosing blood?
Our dobie has a skin tag about 1/3 the size of ur Brutis
I tied it off yesterday and this morning his shirt was covered with blood. is this normal? i sure hope it is. i thought i tied it pretty tight. He even yelped a little.
Skypie,
Was it oosing blood?
Our dobie has a skin tag about 1/3 the size of ur Brutis
I tied it off yesterday and this morning his shirt was covered with blood. is this normal? i sure hope it is. i thought i tied it pretty tight. He even yelped a little.
Sorry about the repet post, was an accident & i couldnt find where 2 delete 1 of them, so sorry
His shirt wasnt really covered with blood just the front where the tie off was
its still bleeding some but looks like it is shrinking some
When Brutus' was done it didn't bleed but oozed where the skin ballooned up. It was like that for some days until it was tied off tighter. You may need to check it to see if it needs to be tied again but tighter.
Good luck
I just wanted to thank you for posting your story about Brutus. I have a 14 year old Staffie who has the same skin tag, but it's on the inside of one of his hind legs. It’s been there for years and it never bothers him. On a recent trip to the vets for something else, we came out with a suture on his unsightly dangly thing, the vet didn't mention it might swell up and look even more revolting, so I ended up going back for a check-up a week later. This time we saw a different vet, and after convincing me, my boy was immediately booked in for surgery to remove the skin tag. When I got home I couldn’t stop worrying about my 14 year old having to go through surgery. So I ended up googling for more information on skin tags and discovered your story. The following day we went straight back to the vets for another check-up, this time with the vet that first applied the suture. I told her of your story, and she was in total agreement about trying a second tighter suture ... within 24hours it’s shrivelled up into a horrible black thing, we’re pretty sure it’s going to drop off any day now. I feel so happy to have found your story and so relieved that my boy hasn’t needed a stressful day out at the vets. I’m so sorry for your loss, what a handsome boy Brutus was.
I am so thrilled that my hub was useful for you. When writing it, I had no idea that it would be such a common problem with our canine friends. I hope by now the skin tag has dropped off and your staffie is looking gorgeous again! Thanks
Hello all,
thank you so much for your contributions to the skin tag discussion. They were extremely insightful. My Boarder Collie (2 years) has a skin tag on the side of his face. It seems to come out of a hair follice as there are are 2 whiskers growing. the skin tag is not very big and it doesn't seem to bother him, but I notice that it is growing realtively fast. The vet told me not to worry because the growth is benign. However, she also told me that she would have to put the dog under for the surgery... Are they trying to rip me off..??? Thanks so much for your help..!!
It would depend whether your dog had a skin tag or a growth. My experience was with a skin tag, which was just a dangle of skin which can safely be removed via a tie off. If your dog has a growth it may be that it is more complicated to remove if it has vessels or other areas of concern to consider. It may be worth asking your vet if it is just skin and whether it can be removed via a tie off, they should be honest with you if they know you are aware that there is a possibility of it being tied off.
Hello Skyepie,
thank you for responding to my post.
I believe it is just a skin tag, but it was the size of a sesame seed when we first noticed it, and now it is almost the size of a pumpkin seed. It kind of just dangles on the side of his mouth. It is grayish in color as is his skin in the areas where his coat is black. The surgery with full anaesthesia would be $700, which I would pay for my "baby" but not if there are other options to have it removed... I will discuss this with the vet again... Thank you again so much for responding.
thanks for all the info, my cross collie has a few skin tags but one under her arm, i am now concerned with as Molly is constantly licking at it & is now making it bleed, gonna try a tee shirt to stop her at it. not wanting to try myself i will speak to my vet tomorrow & ask if he will tie it, so sad for your loss of your lovely Brutus, he has helped many doggy friends
My 2 yr old aussie has skin tag approximately 1-2 cm on the outside of her hind leg just above the knee. It started off as a tiny bump last week, and now looks like a tiny nipple. At first it was only flesh colored; after scratching it, it turned a pink/red color. 2 days later the tip scabbed but the flesh colored tag remains and appears to be slowly stretching out, and lengthening. I have tied a red string and will watch how it progresses in the coming days...
Good luck and I hope it works, let us know! thanks
My 9 year old Lab.had a small skin tag in the middle of her muzzle - it was there yesterday, today when put down her food for her, I noticed a minute black mark, which for a moment I thought was a small tick - then I looked closely, it was all that remained of the tag. Some how or another,the tag had come off! I rubbed the little black dot ightly, and that came off too - there is no trace of the tag!
Hi my 9 year old beagle lab cross has a very ugly skin tag that has been growing for the past 3 years and we tied it off it has been blistering and bleeding and now its starting to smell is this normal?
I have a 8 yr. old English American Bulldog mix with a large skin tag (about 4-5 inches) same story, vet advised not to do anything. Last week it started bleeding and went to the vet to check it out and told us that my dog need surgery to remove the skin tag, quoted me a minimum charge of $765.00 and it could me more once they do the surgery. Same situation, we love our dog very much but $765 is to much for an ordinary working family that needs to consider other things. I have heard about the tie method from family and did search for any more information, when I came across this Forum/Page. I would like to Thank everybody, especially SKYEPIE for the information.
I tied the skin tag last wednesday night and it swelled up and it bled a little. After 2 days it changed to brownish-redish color and started to blister. I used a cotton cloth to cover it. I retied it again yesterday, making sure it is tight and secure. Today, it turned black and it shrunk from 4or 5 inches to 2 inches. I am just waiting for it to fall off, anytime. I will update when it comes off.
This forum/site is amazing and very informative to those people searching for answer.Now I know that I am not alone and other people is experiencing the same dilema.Again THANK YOU!!!!!
Hi Jami, I don't recall Brutus' smelling at all during our tie off. Ensure the tie is really tight as the smell could be the skin weeping, this will continue to happen if blood is still getting through to the tag. You could try bathing it in a little salt water too. If after another day or two it does not seem to be shrinking i would visit the vet to have it checked. Good luck
Tina, well done it sound like another successful tie off!!
The 4-5 inches Skin Tag FINALLY came off. It took one week for it to come off and I tie the skin tag 3 times to re-enforce it and did have swelling up for the first 4 days with blister and bleeding.Finally the 3rd tie, after one day it turned black and shrunk. Anybody trying the Tie Method for the Skin Tag, just be patient and would suggest to re-tie again just to be sure there is no more blood circulation on that skin tag. THANK YOU SKYEPIE for starting this, without this forum I would not have the courage to do it.
I have a 12 year old cockerpoo that has several small skins tags. Can I use a wart solution on them in leiu of the tie method. The largest one is about 1/2" in diameter a 1/2"long and looks like a nipple. They are mostly on his back.
I have a 10 year old newfi with a large skiing tag on the bottom of her chin. I took her to the vet Friday and it was tied off.... It has expanded and is somewhat oozing. I don't know if this is normal but according to your blogs it is.... I can't tie anything near it.. How long before it shrivels ? It seems to keep expanding, Turing red like a balloon..any chance it will burst? I'm trying to be patient but I'm close to taking her to the Vet ER... Help !!!
Hi there Hilda, This is what happened to Brutus too, it didn't burst but did ooze a lot. It needed tying off tighter so we took him back to the vets. Within about 2 or 3 days it had turned black and was shrivelling up. Maybe a trip back to the vet and ask them to re-tie it would be in order? Good luck, let us know how you get on?
Thank you for the info! I have an eleven year old Pit. I've had her since she was 6 weeks...so needless to say..she is my baby. Same story....the vet said don't worry about it.Just cosmetic, Now it has grown to 4" and is bleeding pretty badly. She also has another forming on her hind leg. I have taken her to a "so called clinic" and they said surgery for removal would be about 500.00.Needless to say, with three other pets...and scores of other bills, I can't afford that at this time. i was so glad when I came across your post. I didn't know that vets performed this practice as it seems a bit unconventional. But if it works....I'm all for it! I take Juicy to the vets on Saturday....wish me luck!
Good luck at the vets..... fingers crossed for you both!
Thank you! Juicy is scheduled for surgery 1/26/12. Three Hundred bucks! It is too big...and I don't want to run the risk of infection. At her age....I want her to be as comfortable as possible.The tie off method is not even something my Vet would consider....
I think if you are not comfortable doing the tie off and your vet will not consider it, you are doing the right thing. I hope it all goes well, try not to think about the cost, remember our dogs are like our children and worth every penny!!
Thanks for the info. I have a 16 1/2 year old yellow lab who has many skin tags. None seem to bother him except for the one in his ear. He's always rubbing his head on stuff and it ends up bleeding everywhere. I think it must be in an awkward place and tickle or something because he never seems to be bothered by the other ones. I'm thinking maybe this one needs to be tied off. Thinking of doing it myself but hmm maybe not. Thanks again.
I just found a red small grape like growth on my 7 yr old male boxer. I thought it was a swollen nipple since its on his belly but looking closer its definitely not a nipple. Did anyones skin tags look swollen and have any cuts? I have put neosporin on it and have been giving him garlic for any possible infections, I am very worried its something serious so any info would be great as my "son" HATES the vet so that's a last resort. Thanks for your post
I never noticed any cuts or bleeding from the tag it just felt soft like loose skin. Might be worth a visit to the vet if it is hard or causing any real discomfort, as skin tags generally cause no pain when they are touched or handled. Good luck
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU :)
Skyepie-
First I am going to add to the long list and say thank you, for simply writing this post. My dog has had a skin tag on her elbow for years and it has never bothered her, but recently it has gotten longer and she has began to chew at it. I called vet after vet, and they said anywhere from $400-$700 to get it removed. Well being a college student who just got laid off that isn't an option, so I am trying your handy method. I'll repost if all goes as planned, thanks again!
Yes, my Chocolate Lab has a 4 inch one in the same area. Poor guy keeps licking it so I did a Google search and so glad I found your thread. Gonna do the tie off, I saw some one use dental floss, I'm going to give that floss a try.
Ok, it's now the 2nd day after tying off and yup like all the post it's looking gross. His T-shirt I put on him is really wet from all the weeping. I threw on some gloves and took a look, it looks like a Purple, Brown and Red Kiwi. Anyways, tied some more dental floss around the choke spot tight enough for my dog to flinch a little. Put his shirt back on and I'll check again a couple day. It does look the tag is dying for sure.
I think I just found one on shorty inside her ear, about an inch and a half long. How fast do these things grow, I just had her groomed in late December. She's a long haired border collie bassett mix. Will definitely be at the vet first thing monday. As far as I can tell its just hanging by skin. Does anyone know what I should expect from the vet, plus Shortys 14 years old.
Well, yesterday the front of his shirt was torn open and could see that most of his Fig was gone. Just a small piece of skin remained, about 2 inches. I tied it off some more and my dog didn't even flinch. Put a bunch of antibiotic ointment around the tied off area since I could see a small area looked a little bit infected, small yellow spot. Then put a nice fresh t-shirt on him. will report again in a few days.
I enjoyed all the posted experiences: I wonder if the second tying of the skin tag is necessary due to the fact that there is a swelling that occurs as a result of the first tie-off. This swelling may be opening up the first and initial tie, allowing blood to circulate. Also it would be nice to know what type of string, floss, fishing line, and type of knot should be used? Question two, when the second tie-off is done, is it applied just below or above the first tie, and with the first tie left intact? If those with experience could submit a more detailed steps on what they think would be a good common guide to follow. I was wondering if, when the tie is done, would it be a good idea to place some antibiotic cream or Iodine ointment on the tie as an aid against any infection? After all, the tie-off is actually being used to cut off the tag by a slow process of starving it. I believe from reading all the comments that there are alot of brave and caring people. I hope that my opinion has helped and is definitly not posted to criticize anyone, but is a collection from what everyone has bravely posted. Especially do I thank Skyepie for sharing her experience, her careful details and photos of her beloved Brutus. My heart goes out to all of you!
Well, my dog ripped off his second t-shirt and was able to see "nothing" on his chest. Looks like his Tag is long gone. Thanks for this Blog in saving me hundreds of $$'s.
I just got an english mastiff, and he has one on his back looks like a mushroom. Looks pretty bad and kind of embarrassing. I cannot pay $500-$800, no way. So I will be trying this method. Only problem is I do not want a 200 pound dog mad at me :-/ Any suggestions on that..I don't think he will bite but I just got him, so I am not 100% sure. He doesn't know me well enough yet....hmmm....
Might be worth seeing your vet for a check up first to make sure that it is nothing more ominous. When Brutus had his it was soft and dangly so was easy to tie off. Have a friend with you when you tie it off as it will pinch and he might snap. Also you might want to put on a muzzle on him if you're not sure. You want to keep all your fingers!
Good luck
I have a doxie-she is 9 1/2 years old and has had one on her chest for months now. It is dragging the ground. So yesterday I tied it off with rubberbands. It is already black, she doesn't seem at all uncomfortable with the exception that she has to wear a tshirt...not cool to a doxie. Hopefully it will come off in a few days. Thanks for the info. :)
I just came from the vet and found that the little growth over my Dobie's eyebrow is a skin tag. I'll probably have it removed at the end of this year assuming it doesn't grow too much, when I take her in to have her teeth cleaned - the vet said she would do it then.
My dog has a hard lump under her skin right next to her nipple. Today I noticed that her nipple started bleeding real bad. I don't work and not sure what to do. She is about 13 years old and is my baby and I don't want nothing to happen to her
Hi Candi, The tag that Brutus had was never hard, it was floppy and loose. Maybe a trip to the vets to get it checked out if you're worried. The PDSA will treat your dog if you are on benefits and you can give a small donation or offer some of your time for free. Let us know how you get on.
Hello skyepie,
My dog has what we thought was a 'wart' on her back inner thigh. After reading your story I now believe it is a skin tag as it looks EXACTLY the same apart from the size (my dog's is a lot smaller). Around a month ago I attempted to tie off the blood supply with a piece of thread (as I know they doc tails by using an elastic band and believed it was the same principle). To this day it is still exactly the same, apart from a build up of blood (as clearly thread is no where near thick enough and I obviously did not tie it tight enough). After consulting a vet today about what we should do, they told us the only thing they could do was to operate, but they were not keen on that option due to my dogs age. I told them about what I had done (i.e tying it up with thread) and they responded by saying to take it off immediately, and leave it alone as the method I have done could potentially change the nature of the wart/tag (i.e make it cancerous). After coming on Google to see what steps to take, I came across your article which reinforced my idea to cut off the blood supply. What I was wondering what why my vet suggested it may change the structure of the wart/tag? What is the difference between a wart and a tag? Do you believe I should go ahead and cut off the blood supply, and if so with what? You mentioned you used something similar to fishing line, what else can be used?
Thank you so much for your time.
Hello and thank you for this wonderful forum. My Dog Max had a skin tag on his eye and it has grown tremendously in the last few months. We thought that it would fall of because it is just hanging on a small piece of hair. It is really black and looks like a shriveled up raisin. It is on the side of his eye so it never really bothered him. The last few day he has not been himself so I put a flashlight on it and saw that it was scratched actually cut. When walking him he did rub his eye against a brick wall. We are taking him to the Vet but they can't see him for 3 days. I am worried that he is in pain and also worried that there could be infection. Thanks in advance.
I just want to add my thanks for this detailed post, firstly to Skyepie & to all others who posted their experiences. This helped me take the plunge to tie off my 14 year old Chinese Cresteds skin tag. Bluffs tag had been growing on his neck for about a year or so. My husband tied dental floss around it 10 days ago, we had to do an extra tie 3 days later, it was shocking to watch to process of how the tag swells up but knowing all the info given in the links had to go with the flow. Exactly as detailed in so many posts, the tag starts to shrink and this morning we found it just hanging by a little piece of hair on his neck!! Thanks again to all.
lisakprice 2 years ago
Thanks for the story. We had two old dogs - a Dalmatian that was 14 and a Weimeraner that was 13 - they both had several skin tags each. The Dal had a large skin tag on his right hip, that looked like it was as big as the one your Brutus had. The dogs don't seem to care that they are there, and our vet recommended that we just leave them due to the age of our old boys. Thanks for sharing your story.