A Small Worry

A few weeks ago, both Glacier and Roscoe were examined by their new vet to ensure they were healthy. The vet said they were in excellent condition and told the Guide Dog Association as much, so that Glacier and Roscoe could be considered certified guide dogs here in the UK. Everything is actually going smoothly with that process and all Mr. K and I have to do is head to the public library in order to pick up our bus passes that will allow us to ride public transit for free. However, Glacier has developed a strange lump on his left elbow and I'm a bit concerned.
Emily, AKA E, was over Wednesday morning after our 12 KM run and was sitting on the floor with the boys. She noticed Glacier had a bump on his elbow and he was not very happy about people touching it. I've also been fiddling with it and he still is not happy about it being touched. Yesterday it looked to me as though it had grown a bit, but with things like this it's hard to tell: did it really grow or is my imagination running away with me because I am worried? I put two rounds of t-tree oil on it yesterday in the hopes that it would clear whatever is in there out. T-tree oil has anti-bacterial as well as anti-fungal properties and I wondered if it was an infected area from something getting stuck in there. I haven't done any t-tree oil today, but I'll put another bit on and see if it makes a difference. I'm also going to phone the vet to see if they want me to bring him in today or to wait until Monday.
The bump is probably about the size of a dime in diameter, but actually quite raised. It moves with the skin, which is a good sign and is also quite hard. Both of these sequela indicate that it's not cancerous or anything serious like that, but your brain always assumes the worse.
Jetta developed a lump on her knee when she was still working and I remember being completely freaked out. I was so worried, I didn't sleep until I got her into the vet. Her lump was smaller than this and a bit more boggier feeling. They took a biopsy and she was fine. Eventually, the lump disappeared.
Some might say it's a fat lump, but it's on Glacier's elbow and I have felt fat lumps on dogs before; this is not a fat lump. That said, I kind of wonder, due to its positioning, if maybe he leaned on something when he laid down and it got stuck under the skin, causing the lump. Either way, I'll leave this one up to the experts. I am all for treating your animals naturally, but if the T-tree oil is not having any effect, it's time to call in the "Dogtor."