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My dog has these itchy spots popping up. They’re risen and have a scab over them. If you remove parts of the scab, there is a clear wet substance coming from the spot. Hair is also coming off with the scab. They are the size of a nickel, and I don’t see any other tiny spots or bumps around them. No change in diet/monthly preventatives. He has one on his back and one on his chest. He is a neopolitan mastiff if that matters. Trying to avoid a vet visit if possible.
Hi,
My 8mo old long haired German Shepherd was spayed 5d ago and developed what her regular Vets tell me is a seroma. Nobody has examined her post op, all phone consults.
I am an Rn. They knew she was hyper & I requested postop sedation- they opted for Trazodone 100mg 2x/day & Rimadyl for pain. This did nothing, she continued to jump up/romp a bit inside as she did when i picked her up. So they doubled the dose to 200mg bid, 3rd day adding Benadryl 50mg 2x/day which helps a little. Said short walks ok Saturday (3d post op)
I kept her as confined as possible in crate or pen. It’s about the size of a plum? I hope it’s not intestinal bleeding. She had laser surgery with internal sutures & skin glue closure. They advised heat. Today she started to have serosanguanous leaking from the incision so now it’s riskier for infection. She’s not had great appetite but otherwise acting normally- pooping less also. Should I insist on an exam or just keep monitoring for signs infection, etc?
She’s not licking area as wearing cone/collar. Is this common post spay? Vet is very experienced IF she’s the one who actually performed it…i presume she did. It’s not a teaching hospital. Very $$ 800!!
Thanks! Deb
About a month ago I took my fur baby to the vet because he had a get red dots on his paws that seemed like any bites but he keep licking his paws so I got him checked out to be on the safe side. When we took him in the vet didn’t seem to care much about the situation and just told us that he was not sure what the case was but he thought it was possibly an allergic reaction to something outside, which he was only outside while we worked during the day, so we started keeping him inside all day and only let him outside for potty breaks. The vet went ahead and perscriped Chomps some antibiotics and some pain medication in hopes that it would clear that “allergic reaction” while he was at the vet that day he also had a skin biopsy because when he was about 5 months he began to develop a skin disorder called demodex so we were making sure that he was still clear… All was well everything was clear. Well here we are a month later paws still red and inflammed. My poor baby is very very sensitive to his paws and is constantly licking them. He sleeps a lot more than he used to! I am very concerned but I unfortunately cannot afford to constantly take him to the vet to get unanswered diagnoses. I have been reading up on this situation and I don’t want to self diagnosed him but everything in this article is exactly what is going in with my big fur baby I just would like some professional advice please help! content://com.sec.android.app.sbrowser/readinglist/0728213356.mhtml
What do you feed? If there’s any grain or chicken in the food, try something else. You want grain free and something with a novel protein. I would also wash his feet every time he comes back inside and if this persists I would head to a veterinary dermatologist.
We have had our female Shitz Tuz Mandie for 3 years, she was a rescue dog from a nasty place. She came to us scared of people, it took us a full year to gain her trust, and she can still be skiddish around others. The 1st yr we had her we noticed what looked to be a bug bite, a few days later we had a home visit from a local vet who checked her out, gave her shots etc. We pointed out the bite which had by that time turned into what looked like a boil, which had popped earlier that day. The vet said it was due to fleas, and gave her drops, which we keep current. Ever since that bite she has been chewing herself raw on that spot. We couldn’t find anything there, no bumps or marks that would cause it to bother her. We did notice that her skin in that spot discolored a little. We thought it could be from her licking and chewing. A few months went by and she continued to chew, we switched her shampoo to low sud/oatmeal soap, and switched up her diet to Nutro dry food, no chicken or corn. and that hasn’t helped. Its gotten to the point where she doesn’t want to play, and she sleeps more, may be because she sit up at night after we are sleeping chewing. Her skin is now bright pink all over and her chewing has now moved to any spot she can reach. Any ideas on what is causing this? And, what I should do. Our vet’s here are extremely high dollar vet’s and we just can’t afford a $1,000 vet bill. Please help I feel so bad for this little girl.
Thank you
Lori G
Hi Krista, Thanks for your advice, we figured as much. I guess we all have to pitch in on this one and get our baby healthy again. And being so hot right now I’m sure isn’t making her feel any better either. I’ll give her a nice cool bath tonight and take her in first thing tomorrow.
Again thanks for responding so fast. We all need more vets like you!
First get all grain out of her diet, including treats. Go to a good pet store (not the grocery store, or big box) and ask to be shown to the grain-free dog food and start reading lables. Pick a grain free dog food that has real meat as the first 2 , or even better 3 ingredients. Real meat is easy to spot it says lamb, elk, bison, turkey, salmon meal or whitefish meal (meal is the entire animal ground up and dried). Do not buy any food with by products listed in the ingredients – this is and indication of inferior goods. The worst grains for dogs are: wheat, corn, corn gluten, rice, soy, oats. Many dogs do alright with buckwheat since it is not a grain.
Dogs may not be allergic to grain, but it impacts their ability to fight other allergens. Most dogs do much better when grain is removed from their diet.
Next, stop washing your dog (they only need a bath if they have rolled in something!) and just rinse her instead with a mix of 1/3 vinegar (cider vinegar is her coat is colored, white vinegar if her coat is mostly white) and 2/3 water. Work this into her coat and skin and allow her to shake and dry. Do not rinse it out. You can rinse her with this every day, and if you have her coat cut very short, you can do it 2 times per day. Just be sure she dries out between applications, you don’t want her staying damp since that will lead to other problems. The vinegar smell will disappear as she dries. I recommend you do keep her coat short for the time being – it will help you keep allergens out of her coat. Brush her daily. You can keep her tail hair long since that is one of the best features of this breed!
Keep a bowl of this mix beside the door (make it fresh every day) and rinse her paws in it when she comes in from outside – this will help reduce the amount of allergen she tracks into the house.
Cover every place she sleeps or naps with towels or sheets and toss those covers in the wash once a week. This helps remove the pollen and mold spores that may be making her itch. Wash her dog bed weekly too if she has one. Vacuum the house daily with a HEPA filter in the vacuum.
If she has any raw or ‘hot spots’ dab on witch hazel with aloe vera – you will find this in any pharmacy.
If your vet told you to use Benadryl, switch to Zyrtec instead – it seems to work better. Same dosage, and generic is fine.
I agree with Dr. Krista’s advice to get the help of a vet – but after 22 years of dealing with itchy terriers I know that I have to take these other steps along with what the vet recommends.
I think you need a vet as this dog has been suffering long enough. You have tried hard to treat it at home and unfortunately it hasn’t worked. The next step is a vet and preferably not the same vet that saw her the first time. It would be no wear near $1000. Probably less than $200 including the meds. You did a great thing by rescuing this dog and to continue being a great pet parent it takes sacrifice and some occasional money with a vet. Where I live a vet consultation is a mere $39. At that point they will tell you what needs to be done. You will be feel so much better once you help this poor dog.
I have an 8 year old GSD. Long story short: an animal dermatologist is pretty sure he has allergic vasculitis.
Symptoms:
-Yeast/bacterial issues with skin (lots of licking, odor, grossness)
-Swelling in legs (possibly elsewhere but always noticeable in legs)
-Spikes fevers
More recent symptoms
-Eating dirt, big time. Not sure if it’s related to condition or what.
– Noticeable weight loss while we were away for ~2 weeks. Thought other dog stole his food when caregivers weren’t watching. Now thinking its from eating dirt. ?
We have ruled out food as the source of allergy problems. The vet seemed certain that it’s a local/environmental allergy as we lived in the area almost 3 years before this started. Also, he’s always seemed to have dry, itchy skin.
He gets relief for 2-3 weeks depending on meds. Hes been put on antibiotics, anti fungal, and a steroid. Two weeks on meds brings 2-3 weeks relief. Then we are back to itching, licking, odor, swelling, etc.
We did not take him back for allergy testing after the vasculitis diagnosis. It was just too costly at that time. I am hoping to get him into his usual vet very soon for his regular checkup but I really want him out back on medication.
Please tell me someone else had experience with this issue or something similar with their pup!
Thank you! I’m actually relieved that you’ve seen cases like this.
We will be getting him to the vet soon. I will try to remember to update when we do.
My female DSH is ~2yrs & suffers from allergies. She constantly has lesions on her stomach. She licks and chews effected skin often. Atopica doesn’t work. for her. I’m hesitant to use steroids for a long period of time. Suggestions?
this might sound weird, but have you had her thyroid checked? a friend of mine had a young cat with excessive grooming habits and it turned out to be thyroid problems.
Have you gotten all grains out of his/her diet? No grains in food or treats. Find a grain-free kibble that lists real meat as the first 2 or 3 ingredients. Real meat will be: beef, lamb, elk, salmon meal, etc. Do not buy anything that lists “by-products” in the ingredients – they could be nothing more than feathers.
To help the skin heal you can rinse her once per day (short haired dogs, less often for long-haired dogs, you don’t want her constantly moist) with a mix of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water. Allow this to dry on her skin.
Also if you have been using Benadryl try switching to a generic Zyrtec – it often works better for dogs.
For the active hot spots try Witch hazel with Aloe, you can find it in any drug store OTC, pat it on with a cotton pad and allow to dry – you can do this several times per day to help reduce itch and help the spot heal.
Good luck!
My dog is a 45 lb. German Shepherd mixed with American Terrier 7 year old suffering from something that I don’t know. This started about 4 months ago and has progressed to the point to where he constantly needs a cone on. He cobstantly agressivly licks his underbelly to the point where it has become raw and leathery.at times the area is red and swollen and others its is just leathery looking. Sometimes the area is moist and has a foul odor.recently he has started scratching his nose to the point to where he bleeds and when he is pet he favors those ares.please refer tot the pictures I have included. The vets gave him steroids and antibiotics buy that didn’t seem to help.We have also changed his food as recommended by the vet but nothing changed. the skin scrape of the area also came back negative for bacteria and mites. It sucks that I don’t know what the cause is, please help.
My friend has the same problem have you resolve this problem
Is it in the same area? I haven’t resolved the issue as of now, but I plan to find a better vdt but price is a real concern.live paid almost 300$ and have found out nothing concrete.
It is perfectly round and symmetrical, appears to be under the skin (hair is intact), fairly firm, 2 inches in diameter and doesn’t seem to be bothering my dog when touched. He was also licking his nose very frequently when it showed up along with increased sneezing. I’m wondering, What this is caused by? Should he see a vet? Could this be caused by an allergy?
i’d get him in, particularly if it’s anywhere near teeth.
Any unusual lump should be seen by a vet. Especially before it gets any bigger
Ripley has a lick sore with broken skin on her rear leg. She already has a routine vet visit scheduled for Friday, and we would like to avoid moving that up if possible. Wondering what I can do in the interim to prevent her from chewing on it more. It is not bleeding at the moment.
I have bitter apple on hand but with the broken skin I’m afraid of irritating it further.
I’m not a vet, but have you tried putting a cone on her? You can get one at any pet supply store and they are pretty inexpensive. It will make it harder for her to get her mouth to her leg.
There was a small bump on it earlier today…i would compare it to a pressure sore from lying on a hard surface, but she hasn’t been on any hard surfaces lately.
She DOES have an allregy to something in the yard and we battled hives most of the summer as a result. Vet had her on a steroid, antihistamine, and antibiotic. She hasn’t been itchy since.
What worries me is she has been displaying some OCD behavior lately – suckling, digging, and the licking may be her way of replacing the suckling after I removed her blanket.
Her paternal grandmother is a suckler, so I anticipated some suckling. I just wish it wouldn’t escalate to destructive chewing.
Maybe i need to step up the training regimen to manage the OCD behavior. Will be discussing that with my trainer.
Anyway…what do you think i could do to manage the irritation until Friday? I am not against giving her benadryl – vet has approved our use – I just don’t know if this is a histamine reaction.
Sadly, it’s a bit late to get to the stores – they all closed about 2 hours ago. It’s a good idea, though, and I may pick one up tomorrow.
Shall do! At least she pills easily. 🙂
i may be jumping the gun, but that seemed to work – she didn’t touch her leg after i pilled her. thanks for kicking me in the buns on that one!
Laura,
Have you gotten all the grain out of her diet? Including treats? In the long run being grain-free will help her system while it tries to heal itself.
The three things I do to help a dog that is itching (other than treating them for whatever caused the itch in the first place) are:
1. Rinsing the area or the entire dog with cider vinegar and water (1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water – I like organic vinegar. If the dog is white you may want to use a white vinegar cause the cider can stain the coat). Do not rinse this out, let it dry in the coat and make sure the mix gets all the way to the skin.
2. On raw hot spots I use witch hazel with aloe. You can find this in any drug store. Just pat it on with a cotton pad and allow to dry.
3. Use a generic form of Zyrtec instead of the Benadryl — it seems to work better for most dogs.
Good luck!
i am 99.999% certain this is not diet-related. she eats Wellness CORE and has since coming home at 10 weeks. i frequently change the formulation and will throw in a different brand from time to time, but i stick to higher end foods with no grains. i believe i’ve said this a few times in the past. 😉 i’m working on researching a few food options that have lower carb content, however, as i’m not much a fan of the high amount of potatoes and peas.
prior to making this post on Sunday, i used a diluted white vinegar wash – the same wash i use on her coat prior to a show. that made her more prone to licking, to the point of running off so she could lick it off. i believe it stung a bit.
we already use witch hazel in conjunction with her other allergy – which was, as i mentioned, a contact allergy and not food related. we determined this with an elimination diet and had her on a venison-based raw diet for about 2 months. the witch hazel in conjunction with the benadryl has kept her from chewing.
benadryl has worked fine.
My pitbull puppy recently started scratching and licking at his skin and he’s getting these spots. How can I get rid of them? Is there any medicine I can get for it?
Hello,
I am sorry to hear about your pup. YES! you should insist upon an exam. I consider it unethical that you have to ask, they should have offered on the first call of your concern. Ask as many questions as you feel necessary. Ask for your bill, the doctor who performed the surgery should be listed on that. You can even request her medical records. It is our practice to not charge for exams post op follow ups. It conveys an air of confidence on both sides and helps reassure everyone that we have our pets care at the forefront and hope to be building and maintaining long standing relationships built around confidence. Be the advocate your dog needs you to be, You are their only voice. Let us know what happens. Good luck!
Hello Dr Magnifico
I think I will book an exam as suggested since it’s more firm than what I’ve read it should be this early on-
folks say should feel more like a water balloon & hers doesn’t. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to get a strong sedative when you know you have an enthusiastic puppy…i emphasized si didn’t want her like a zombie- but one can’t anticipate her initial “inside jumps”…
Thanks!