Has anyone ever had cancer in the gland that is about 3 inches down from the base of the tail? What is that gland called??
A friend has a field lab that has an UGLY wound that just appeared at that spot, Not a hot spot.....

Abscessed anal gland maybe? Fistula?

Condition is known as Stud Tail:
(Supracaudal Gland Infection)
There is a sebaceous gland near the base of the tail in both dogs and cats that sometimes becomes over-active and/or infected. In cats, this condition is called "stud tail" even though the problem sometimes occurs in females and castrated males.

In dogs, the same condition is usually just called by it's medical name: Supracaudal Gland Infection or Supracaudal Gland Hyperplasia.

If no underlying problems (typically fleas) are found, then treatment consists mostly of cleaning with degreasing shampoos and possibly short term steroids and antibiotic therapy. In dogs, every once in a while, surgical reduction or removal of the gland is needed. In cats, castration often helps.

-pulled this info off a veterinary web site. Hope this helps.

Not the anal gland.
I have seen irritated supracaudal glands( Thanks Wag) but this is a full on BLOW OUT, I mean pretty darn ugly.Has anyone else had this or seen it?

I haven't seen one explode but has anyone seen one just swollen, like a golf ball under the base of the tail?
Maybe this is what it looks like before it explodes?

By the way this dog is under vet care, I took one look and said off you go......

I have a dog with a bald spot there. Can't tell if it's related to the gland (in the right spot) or if he rubs it off in his wire crate (this dog LOVES his crate, I need one up all the time because that's where he wants to sleep).

Good Luck.

It sounds like it could be a fistula. Has he been checked for that? I have had experiences dealing with fistulas and they aren't pretty nor is the treatment a quick fix.

I believe fistulas are on or around the anus. This is on the flat of the dogs tail. If you start at the base of the tail , on the top and go down about 3 inches towards the tip of the tail, there is a gland. Some dogs have a tendency of balding, my male show dog has a spot there, my field dog does not. But this issue is no where near the anus, it is ON the tail it self......