What are these bald patches on my dog?

My 12 year old black labrador has got a bald patch on each of her hind legs. They only started to appear about 2 months ago but have got worse in the past week or so. They're about the size of the ball of a thumb and the skin there is raised a bit like there's a squishy lump underneath. I was worried they could be tumours but they're exactly half way up between her foot and knee(?) on both legs so they can't be.





She also has hip dysplasia and arthritis in her front paws so it may have something to do with how she's distributing her weight on her legs.





I am going to go to the vet but in the mean time, does anyone know what the problem is or has anyone experienced the same thing in their dog?

What are these bald patches on my dog?
My guess is they are calluses. Those are areas ofthickened skin on pressure points. The usually occur on external aspect of elbows or hocks. They do not require treatment unless they get infected.





Please consult your vet anyway for peace of mind.
Reply:They could be pressure sores. Over time the fur will get erroded away when a dog leans on a particular part of their body for an extended period of time.





If she's not scratching it and it's not red or swollen or causing her any pain, I'd leave it be.
Reply:not a tumor


old dogs get that


my dog has it to


put some dog skin cream on it to keep it from geting red
Reply:Sounds like it may be fatty tumors.. they are common in older dogs and are not harmful to his health.





Glad you are taking him to the vet to be sure tho.. so many people come here wanting a cheap/quiick fix as an alternative to real vet care.
Reply:I won't lie that my dog has the same problem but what i will say is that it is probably an infection in her hind legs so i suggest that you get her to the vet as soon as physically possible and i think that it is also due to her age just like humans dogs change as they are close to old age.
Reply:mange.
Reply:Call your vet for an appointment. It sounds like it could be tumors or allergies.
Reply:I used to petsit a lot when I was younger, and a golden that I used to watch got the same thing. Their owner called them "hot spots". I don't remember much about it, but definately talk to your vet. These websites below will tell you all about hot spots and what to do. Hope this helps :)
Reply:It could flea irration which may cause her to nibble the area,if this is the case her own salivia constantly on her skin would cause hair loss like you say and soreness.
Reply:Mange is common, especially in hot summer months.


Here's what it looks like:


http://images.google.com/images?hl=en%26amp;q=...





Could also be allergies.
Reply:Sounds like a flea problem
Reply:Stop feeding your dog wheat products and get him better food.





I'd feed him left over rice and meat.
Reply:get your vet to have a look its always better to have things checked on animals.im sure if it was you, you would go to the doctors.
Reply:sounds like pressure sores, they are normally seen on the elbow of the front legs but occasionally on the hind ones too.


I would keep an eye on them and monitor the situation (just to make sure they aren't anything nasty), as long as her flea worming and innoculations are up to date i don't think you have anything to worry about.








But you know your dog and you can see your dog so if you are still worried or are still unsure then please seek a vets advice
Reply:My dog gets these patches from time to time. Usually during the summer when she lays on the patio in the garden. The vet advised me they were pressure sores and were not hurting her. Its just where she lays down on a hard surface!! I put savlon on them and they go after a couple of days.