by Hannah W.
(Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia)
Lumps on Dog’s Back
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About a week after I got my dog, he started to get lumps over his back and rump and the sides of his back legs. To me it looked like insect bites.
I consulted the vet that visits here (there is no resident vet one just visits every 6 weeks or so) and she said it was probably hives, but they did not irritate him at all and I had never seen him scratch (and he didn’t have any scratch marks).
I started to wipe him over in a solution of Teatree oil to keep insects off of him in case that was the problem, but there was no change or improvement. More bumps started to appear as the initial bumps went down after a couple of days, leaving a sort of scar in its place, like a fleck/small patch of missing hair.
He also started to get small lumps everywhere; on the sides of his face, around his neck, on his back, all his legs, and some on his belly and insides of his legs but they are not worse than in other places. The lumps are like spots but hard and turn crusty on top.
I then went away on holiday for a month, but whilst I was away he was due his second vaccination and there was no one here who would have been able to do it. I consulted the vet who visits here again and she said it was ok to give him the second vaccination after only giving him his first one 3 weeks earlier and was better than giving it to him 7 weeks later than the first one.
Whilst I was away he had a tiff with our other dog and got a puncture wound in his ear and grazes on his legs. He was put on amoxyl 400 antibiotics for about 10 days I believe.
Healing did not happen as quick as was hoped and he was put on a further course of antibiotics. As I was not present at this time I was not fully informed about his skin condition as attention was directed to healing his wounds.
On my return (4 weeks later) his wound had completely healed but his skin had shown no improvement, just more scars where there had been more lumps. I also discovered that the ear that had been damaged was red, swollen and dirty inside, so I treated it with ear drops and the ear returned to normal after a few days.
I took a close look at some of the lumps on his skin and they mostly they appear hard and red with a small scab with pus over the top. They then go down and leave a horrible hairless mark.
He has never scratched the lumps or anywhere on his skin, and they do not seem to be itchy or irritate him at all, and he is very happy in himself; active, and I have never seen him scratch. He is now starting to lose his hair around his neck, on his back and on his back end and legs.
I have tried washing him with Pyohex shampoo every few days these last 2 weeks which doesn’t seem to have helped really, and a friend gave me some Filta bac cream to try which does help a bit with redness and inflammation but then the problem continues elsewhere on his body. Plus it’s a mission to put on patches that are all over his body!
I have made sure he is up to date on worm, flea and tick treatments and have never seen any fleas or ticks on him or on the bedding. I treated him with advocate.
Some background…
In February I rescued a bull terrier across from Blacktown pound near Sydney. When I got him he looked in good health with good skin and coat. He is all white with a black nose with a few black skin spot patches but no black fur.
He was vaccinated and desexed about 3 days before he was sent to me. I live on an island right in the north of Queensland where it is tropical and so it would have been a significant climate change for him, and it is now coming towards the end of the summer here and it is humid and hot.
In winter it is still hot just not as humid.
None of our other dogs have this condition and I have a small white husky / mini foxy and she has no problems. I called the pound where he came from to ask what he was being fed and they said a combination of dry food called coprice (which contains grains) and mince.
I used to feed him lots of different foods with the other dogs but now I have eliminated grains from his diet and he now gets lentils, vegetables, raw/cooked meat and bones, a dash of olive oil and fish oil capsules (which he has always had in his food since being with me) and a spoon of apple cider vinegar.
He does not go out in the sun much at all as when I am at work he is shut on the veranda which is completely shaded from the sun. I have ripped out plants that I think may be causing/contributing to this condition but that was only a few days ago, so might be too early to tell yet.
The places on him where the lumps were do not heal quick, as I said they leave a hairless, scar like mark and his hair is getting thinner and thinner on his back, neck and legs. There will be a day where I will see some improvement (less inflammation, some lumps gone down) and the next it has flared up again and he has some new lumps appear.
I have tried to do some research and as he is not irritated or itchy at all i have read about a few conditions, such as folliculitis and solar dermatitis which sort of sound like and look like what it could be, but I do not know enough.
I want to get a skin biopsy taken but the vet is not due up for another 3 weeks, but I will ask to do it when she comes. I would like another opinion anyway and thought maybe in the mean time I might get some suggestions of what to try that might help or sort it out!
He is just such a beautiful boy and this condition is really making him look like I don’t look after him!
I look forward to hearing from you
Many thanks,
Hannah
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