Elbow Sore That Won't Heal on an 8-Year-Old Boxer

We're sorry your Boxer has been through so much with this. Sores on the elbow are common in large dogs because the elbow is a pressure point. Lying on hard floors can cause a callus or a fluid-filled swelling (a hygroma), and long-standing ones can break open, get infected and be very slow to heal. Constant scratching from his sensitive skin makes it harder still.

A sore that hasn't healed after 3 months and two rounds of antibiotics needs a fresh look:

• Ask for a culture so the antibiotic is chosen to match the bacteria.
• Ask about a biopsy. Boxers are more prone to some skin tumors, including mast cell tumors and histiocytomas, so a sore that won't heal should be sampled.
• Treat the itch, too. Controlling his underlying allergies helps break the scratch and reinfect cycle.

At home, give him soft, thick bedding, pad the elbow as your vet advises, and keep him from licking or scratching it with a cone or a protective sleeve. Avoid putting human creams on an open, infected wound unless your vet recommends them. Surgery on long-standing elbow sores can have healing problems, so it's a decision to make with your vet.

See dog skin lesions, scabs and sores, staph infections in dogs and itchy skin in dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.