Introduction
Skin tags, also known as fibropapillomas and achrochordons, are rather common in dogs. In fact, skin tags are benign growth that are growing out of the body and usually discovered accidentally.
How Do the Skin Tags Look Like?
Dog skin tags look like little tabs of flesh that may grow on the muzzle, chest, armpits and legs. To the touch, skin tags are soft and fleshy, they bend and folds when you pet your dog. Skin tags usually look like a little grain of rice attached to the skin.
Causes
Unfortunately, today there is no precise answer on this question, since the nature of skin tags is still unclear. Veterinarians have different opinions on this issue, some of them are:
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- Parasites. When your dog is infested with fleas, ticks or worms, it may try to scratch them away from the skin, thus damaging the skin covering and causing the infection. As tissue immunity is undermined, it can provoke the appearance of skin tags. Always remember to deworm your dog in time and protect it against fleas and ticks during the warm season.
- Improper skin care. Bathing too frequently and too rare is equally bad for a dog. Excessive dirt and debris on the skin covering may cause skin tags to appear, at the same time, frequent washing with harsh shampoos and soaps may inhibit the skin from producing natural oils necessary to keep the skin and coat healthy.
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- Poor diet. Poor diet may lead to many skin problems in dogs, including skin allergy, alopecia, etc. The thing is, that bad feeding can undermine the immune system of a dog, thus leading to the formation of the skin tags. A diet for your dog should be diverse and rich in vitamins, macro- and microelements.
- Genetics. Dog skin tags may be an inherited problem and there is nothing to do with the issue, save for removing skin tags and reinforce the immune system of a dog. If you buy a dog from breeders, always ask them to show you parents’ health certificates.
Removing
There are a lot of ways to remove skin tag at home on the Internet, nevertheless they are just a waste of time: there is no ‘magical’ ointment that may eliminate skin tags problem, and ‘surgical’ removal at home is useless and dangerous (it may lead to serious complications).
Your veterinarian may or may not recommend you to remove skin tags from your dog’s skin. Skin tags should be removed if your dog tends to pester its skin tags such as rubbing them against the carpet and furniture or scratching or chewing them. In case, your dog doesn’t mind skin tags, your vet doctor may not remove them, but ask you to keep an eye on the problem.
There are several options concerning dog skin tags removal. In case your dog is calm, the skin tag can be removed through a minor surgical ‘operation’ which can easily be done using some local anesthesia and sedation. Also, the tag can be removed using total anesthesia. Laser surgery helps to minimize the bleeding.
Сonclusion
It is very important to take care of your dog health. If you’ve noticed a skin tag on your dog, get your vet consultation at once.
