Please help! worried about my dog

[xtrema2]

I have a 5 month old black lab that is always outside. I was working her today and noticed some bumps on her head and neck area so I thought it was time for a bath. While the wife and I was washing her my wife looked at the bumps. They look like scabs and some are even bleeding and have a pus like liquid coming out of them. If you pull on the hair any at all it will come out. i know this is a nasty post but i am worried sick about my dog. We are going to the vet asap tommorow but was wondering if any of you might know. thank you

[maxcam]

are the bumps random or do they have a defined pattern like a dog bite?

[AAAJohn]

Could she had been shot with buckshot. That or insect bites.

[longtimegone]

I am so sorry man. Its awful not knowing how to help your dog.

[trader rob]

sounds like turkey mites. i would give it a bath with iodine shampoo, won't hurt and if it was a fungal infection it will cure it up. horses will get the same spots, it is rain rot on them. but i would say turkey mites going from your location. the hair will come back later on.

[Luckybuck]

I have had beagles get a few of those spots before and like others say I would give it a good bath and keep it very clean and dry. Unless it is some kind of food allergy. What kind of food are you giving it? Some foods that are high in corn will make dogs break out.

[xtrema2]

thanks everyone, maxcam they are all over the back of her head and neck. She stays in a kennel that isn't graveled yet. Its just bare dirt. It has been raining here quite a bit. There is no chance of her being shot and I'm feeding purina puppy chow. Once again thanks to everyone

[maxcam]

Ild say that its some type of parasite, could be ringworms......They will do a scraping at the vets office and take a look.......I wouldnt get to worried about it just take it to the vet and let them check her out........

[reivertom]

I had a Original Mtn Cur that had those cronically and I eventually took her to Ohio State clinic and they called it Farunculitis (sp?) They said some dogs are just genetically pre-disposed to skin infections. I would give her Cefalexin if they got really bad and they would go away for maybe up to a year. I Bathed her in T-Gel shampoo (for people) and I could keep them under control. It's a pine tar based shampoo, which is a very old remedy. I would just lather her up and let her sit for 5-10 minutes before I rinsed. They smell good for a while too!
I would bet that for a less serious condition T-gel would just about cure it unless it's a type of mange or alergy.

[xtrema2]

Took her to the vet and as maxcam said they are sending off her hide for testing. He said it might be a staph infection but wont know for a while. They shaved some of the worse spots so that it can get air. She looks pitiful, breaks my heart

[Auk1124]

I had a Original Mtn Cur that had those cronically and I eventually took her to Ohio State clinic and they called it Farunculitis (sp?) They said some dogs are just genetically pre-disposed to skin infections. I would give her Cefalexin if they got really bad and they would go away for maybe up to a year. I Bathed her in T-Gel shampoo (for people) and I could keep them under control. It's a pine tar based shampoo, which is a very old remedy. I would just lather her up and let her sit for 5-10 minutes before I rinsed. They smell good for a while too!
I would bet that for a less serious condition T-gel would just about cure it unless it's a type of mange or alergy.

I have to use T-Gel or the generic version as shampoo on my own head - if I don't exczema and dermatitis make my skin crawl off my skull. I have it all over my body, actually - chronically itchy, flaky skin that sometimes will erupt into open sores, etc. Hell can't be much worse than a chronic skin condition.

Our Yorkie dog has chronic skin infections and flaking too, and we tried T-Gel but it didn't work. Only thing that worked for our dog was to basically cut baths down to once every few months, close haircuts, and some sort of very expensive shampoo from the vet. I didn't know dogs could suffer from allergic reactions until we got this one.

[maxcam]

I wouldnt treat the pup with anything until I got the results back on the scrapings they did......One thing I would do is make sure that you try to keep her away from flies and nats for the time being so she can start to heal up........

Dont get too upset her fur will grow back......I would concentrate on some way of getting her up off the mud floor in her run though......I dont particularly like gravel because it will hold dog crap even after being washed down with a hose..........

If you cant pour a concrete floor and seal it then I would recommend some of the prefab plastic flooring.......Another good alternative is to build a deck out of pretreated lumber and place the run over top of it.......

What you want to do is provide flooring that is not super abrasive and is easy to clean.......Usually if you let the dog run everyday it will only use the bathroom outside the kennel.....But on days when it wont be let out to run, and they will happen, you need to make sure you can clean the area good.......

If your pup has a staff infection this could be the source......


There are a lot of dog owners that are on this forum......I would encourage all of you to get involved with local dog organizations for several reasons. They are passionate about their dogs, they are a great group of people to network with and believe it or not they are one of the best allies we as sportsmen have in our fight against the antis........

Up here in Louisville we have a group of ladies from the Louisville Kennel Club that have been fighting the HSUS and Pam Rodgers for nearly 3 years.......They have spent 10's of thousands of dollars on letigation and are winning the fight......
These ladies will be working at the LKS booth during the NRA convention and if you are up that way stop in to say thanks and drop a buck or two into the donation bowl.......They could use a little help from us!

[trust me]

A lot of skin problems in dogs is a food allergy. One way to diagnose this is to cut out kibbles for a while and feed the dog only fresh meat. That's expensive, but if the skin clears up as a result, then the dog is allergic to corn, wheat, or something else in the dog food. It's one way to pinpoint the problem.

You could spend the extra money and try some of the expensive dog foods like Iams and the like. They're supposed to be better. Luckily all mybird dogs do fine on the cheaper stuff. Wal-Mart premium brown bag is all I feed now. They like it and can hunt all day and all week on it.

[xtrema2]

thanks everyone, maxcam, I was gonna gravel and shovel the crap instead of washing with a hose. Do you think this will work? What is the plastic stuff your alking about? I cant afford the concrete. Thanks again

[maxcam]

if gravel is what you can afford then its better than just dirt in my opinion but you have to reallize that it is a breeding ground for bugs like fleas and other parasites........You will just need to spend extra time keeping it clean.

Are you keeping her in a run all the time?

[ducknbuckhunter]

might want to look into propac large breed puppy... compare the ingredients (not a promotion just a tip) worked at a pet food center for a while... the spots shouldnt be a food allergy.. but other than that i dont know about

[ducknbuckhunter]

oh yea.. the concrete is almost as bad as the dirt.. ask the vet he/she will tell you it holds bacteria also... can lead to a lot of heel, pad (foot) problems

[xtrema2]

I let her out for about an hour everyday, on weekends she is out all day. She does go to the bathroom everytime I let her out but she also goes in her kennel some but not very often

[DonJovi]

You may want to watcht the gravel to. It your dog gets wet and thier skin reacts to the limestone (lime) it could cause burns. We belive this happened to my parents dog. Also keep you kenel cleen as you can. Because one of my dogs got whip worms and we about lost him. It's cost me about $700 for medicine for him and my other dog, plus digging out his kennel was a PITA. Keep us posted on what you find out.

Donnie

[weedwalker]

Possumal just went thru this with one of his Mt. Cur pups. They told him at first it was a staff infection and was treating for that. Found out later it was ringworm.

[ducknbuckhunter]

weedwalker is probably right, actually just got off the phone with the vet becuase i have a five month old lab also... she said most cases with what you have described is ring worm... also she said it could be mites. they get in wounds the dogs create itching and scractching etc. and the mites will actually spread that way.. and as the dog gets irriatated it makes more homes for the bacteria and mites. she said they will give your dog something that she explained to me to be similar to an antibiotic for humans. and a special shampoo to use.. but she preffered the owner to keep the dog indoors till the problem was solved

[eDuck]

If it is ringworm it may glow under a black light (not all varieties do)

[xtrema2]

Yeah ducknbuck they give me the shampoo and antibiotic but we are waiting for the test results

[maxcam]

Hey Im just passing along what reputable dog breeders share with me about kennel construction.....I know one breeder that has a kennel she has spent over 1 million on......The flooring is made from imported marble, but the lady produces nothing but champions.......

[xtrema2]

Hey maxcam what is that plastic flooring your talking about? Thanks

[maxcam]

you can use several different types of synthetics........flooring found in work stations will work but black will retain heat......

Here are a few things to consider

http://www.duragrid.com/kennel.html

http://www.lbarmranch.com/kennelmat4x6.html

http://www.optionspluskennels.com/kennelflooring.htm