My dog,a rough collie as a strange black spot or nipple

[lilacben]

in the area of his hind leg/ groan !!There is also black pieces of skin? coming from around it. I only noticed it on saturday as he has a very long thick coat and I was brushing him. Not sure if it is a nipple or like a black mole. infact there are two like it quite close. Anyone know what it can be.?

[karenmac60]

Check and see if there are more and if they are in 2 lines - it sounds like a nipple. They usually have 8 but can have anything between 6 and 12, and odd numbers are possible too.

[ganesh]

Yes,my dog has 9.
It's not a tick is it? Sometimes they like to disguise themselves as nipples!!

[lilacben]

ganesh that is something I hadn't thought of. It could well be a tick as the black mole seems to be loose all the way round, like it was pressed into the skin. I will check it out. thankyou.

[ganesh]

If you look very close you can see tiny little legs that seem to come out if their heads,and if they are totally black they may be dead and sometimes they can still be latched on.Usually they are a dark beige colour with a black spot/line just below the head.Have you treated him for fleas and ticks recently?

[lilacben]

HI ganesh, dont think it can be a tick as it is really black and flat. He has had ticks before but this is nothing like that. he has been frontlined but seems useless this year.

[ganesh]

Maybe not then,mention it to the vet next time (unless they get bigger). Have you seen the picture of a tick on wikipedia though? One of them looks quite dark and flat,and when they die they are even flatter!
Anyway.wouldn't worry-have a nice Xmas.

[lilacben]

ganesh, many thanks and a very happy christmas to you. x