Can anybody identify this wound?

[MikeGandy]

My fiance's dog (Golden Retriever/Chow mix) is approx. 14 years old. For several months she has been licking an area on her left hind leg, and we just recently noticed that it's a wound. We didn't think much of it before because she hasn't been limping, and it looked like she was just grooming herself. We can't afford the vet bills, but will seek help if we need to. I wanted to see if anybody can identify the wound, and if so, is it treatable? My fiance thinks it might be from a BB gun from the ranch she used to go to, or possibly a tumor. Any ideas? Thanks...

[MikeGandy]

Thanks Blu. Can you tell me some of the things that it could be? I'll try putting ointment on her for now.

[BluCrystal]

Hard to tell.  Could be a few different things.  But it will not heal if she continues to lick it, and ointment should be applied to it (neosporin is a safe topical ointment for dogs).  Try this 3 times a day, and don't let her lick it off for 15 minutes.  rub it in real good before she is allowed to lick, as you don't want her ingesting more than a very tiny amount of the ointment.  If you don't see improvement with this method in a few days, then you'll have to bite the bullet and take her to the vet.  Blessings - Blu