My Dog Has What Looks Like A Boil Or Cyst On The Top Of Her Head. How Can I Treat It?

There are a number of reasons why a dog may have an irritation. It could be due to running in the undergrowth and picking up a sting or a scratch from a thorn or a nettle, this can often become infected, so it might be worth retracing your steps and trying to work out whereabouts the wound may have been picked up.
Another reason may be an insect bite, if the dog has been out and about in the countryside, it may have disturbed a small insect. If a bite or a sting is poisonous, it will often mean that the dog's behaviour changes and the creature becomes ill. If this is the case, you may need specialist treatment which is only available from a vet.
If the problem is a cyst, there are a couple of things worth remembering. A cyst will either be ruptured or un-ruptured. Treat a non-ruptured cyst, a raised growth or lump on your dog's back, by leaving it alone. The only way to completely remove a cyst is to have the vet surgically remove it. If you do not opt for this treatment, do not touch a non-ruptured cyst.

Treat ruptured cyst on your dog's back by shaving the area around the cyst. Clean any pus or residue from the skin with a soft, wet rag. Leave the sore open, and do not rub on the sore itself. If the sore on your dog's back is in a place that he can reach, he will lick it and clean it correctly. If your dog cannot reach the cyst, gently wipe it with a damp rag every day to insure no dirt or particles get into the cyst. Watch the ruptured cyst for signs of infection.

Treat it with hydrated bentonite clay. It will draw whatever is inside to the surface, eventually open the boil/cyst, and after all debris has come out it will promote the healing process. Repeated packs will be necessary. No antibiotics, as that will merely inhibit the immune system by killing off all the good bacteria necessary for the immune system to stay strong. If anything, use immune boosting supplements to help the body heal itself.

Many things can cause masses in dogs--abscesses (walled off infection), cysts, scar tissue, and tumors.  Regardless of the cause if your other dog is licking it--this is introducing bacteria to the area and will cause a secondary infection.  You can prevent your other dog from licking it by using an Elizabethan Collar.  Then take this dog to be examined by a veterinarian.

My dog has had a lump just past the base of his neck for about three months. We thought it was his microchip as he is from the RSPCA. His brother has been licking it and it has got bigger over the last few days, and it is now weeping.