Hi,

My 1 year old male German Shepherd has scratched elbows and and rough black lumps on them. He keeps licking them and scratching them.
Any medicine or suggestions what I should use for this?

Thanks
Eimis

Are you sure that they aren't callouses (sp?) The GSD's we had as kids slept outside, and had callouses on their elbows. Although I don't remember them being itchy, or licking at them. My 8-1/2 month old GSD sleeps in the house (crate w/pad), and doesn't have them on his elbows. What surface does your dog sleep on?

Eimis, there was a thread that addressed this but I can't find it.
I don't remember the remedy but I can tell you what NOT to do. Do NOT put olive oil on it. I tried this several years ago with one of my GSDs and it made it worse. I thought it would help heal, but it actually made the area and the cracks raw.

Here is the recent thread re: hygroma.

Hygroma thread

Katie

That's the one, Katie, thank you. Steve Strom mentioned using tea tree oil to keep his dog from licking the callous. Bag Balm was mentioned as well. Then since the thread was specifically about hygroma, not just the callouses, other methods were posted on ways to treat the hygroma. Good thread to read.

Thank you!

He sleeps in his crate still, without any padding, he tears it up if I put anything if I'm not home.

Eimis,
Not sure if this will help you or not - my dog Nickie was getting a small raw sore on his back legs - also from sleeping in the crate without any padding (he also would chew up anything that we would put in there). I finally decided to start using old pieces of a blanket (cut the blanket into 4 equal pieces). Then put two of the pieces (folded in half) into his crate. Naturally he went at them for a few days and they ended up looking like Swiss cheese (he doesn't swallow the pieces). However, there seemed to be enough padding for him to lay on that his little sores have disappeared.

Yesterday I threw out the old parts of the blanket in the crate and put in the other two new pieces. There has been much less chewing on these - for the most part, he just lays on them at night and doesn't try to chew them up.

I see that your dog is a year old - Nickie is a little over a year & a half so maybe they will eventually outgrow the chewing. Someone else had suggested that we buy a "cow mat" and cut it to fit in the crate. So far have not found a local source.

I also think if you can put some padding in it will heal the callouses.

My pup also chews everything I put for him to lay on, even though he has 4 chew toys in there. He even shredded a towel. I bought him a "chew proof" Primo pad, the manufacturer said only 2 dogs had ever destroyed one, my 6-month-old puppy destroyed it within 4 days. He has also ripped up the garage floor style padding and rubber cow mats. (and swallows the pieces!)

However - I have found he does not chew single ply blankets (i.e. not comforters - he rips them and eats the stuffing). Just a plain old blanket folded in 4. The other thing he doesn't chew is a thick bathroom bathmat. The best thing about those things is they are washable.

So experiment a bit until you can find something your dog can lay on. I think that is the only way to solve the problem. Good luck!

Cow mats or stall mats work great for chewers.

Thanks for answers!
I will try: http://www.stallmats.com/products-ranch/mats-dog.htm