Patience will get wound licked
Over the past week, a thick, weeping, raw lesion has appeared on the front of my labrador’s hind leg. Is it a tumour?
Neil says: Thank you for the photograph, which is very helpful. The good news is that this is not a tumour. The bad, however, is that it is a very difficult problem to deal with. Your dog has a lick granuloma or acral lick dermatitis, which is entirely caused by her licking obsessively at the area. It is incredible the damage that a canine tongue can do. While it may have been started by a minor wound, bite or underlying arthritic pain, she has, regrettably, caused extensive damage in a very short period of time and this tissue may never go back to normal. The exact cause is rarely obvious, but frustration, anxiety and boredom are usually contributing factors. The affected area is now severely inflamed and infected. Treatment is prolonged and will involve effectively avoiding her getting to the area, by use of an ‘Elizabethan’ collar (which, of course, can increase anxiety), oral antibiotics and steroids, and topical creams. Some dogs require anxiolytic medication. Soak the area twice daily in salty water, then rinse off. Do not attempt to apply dressings, as these will only exacerbate the condition. You will need to be patient, as recovery will take weeks.
David says: Unless you intend to use the Very pistol as signalling apparatus aboard a ship or boat, which does not appear to be the case, it counts as a Section 5 prohibited weapon. If you wish to keep it you will have to have it deactivated before you return to the UK (EU deactivation standards are accepted in the UK) or else arrange for a Section 5 registered firearms dealer to import it and have it deactivated.