Skin Lesion~ Anyone seen this?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Starlit had a hard knot since late fall.  To me it was just the standard Lab knots that they all get.  I thought she was a little young ( 1 year old) to already be getting fatty tumors but thought nothing after that.   I noticed it changing a little and tried to get  a better look thinking it might be a tick or burr but in the end what I did was aggravate the lump.  (should have listened and left it alone)

Overnight the hard knot became a soft huge mass. From pea size to golf ball size.   We saw the vet and she took all her antibiotics.

It was hard to see under her coat, she clearly was uncomfortable so at the time~  just antibiotics.  There really wasn't much to see.

 

So I need a second ( or 50 more opinions) What do my DK friends think.  

She has lost all her hair around the area~~ way beyond where the wound was.   The surrounding skin is scaly.   The skin has a funny color.  Hard to describe and I certainly do not have a camera that will allow you the best view.   If you can see in close it is black shade around the hole.  Just tissue damage or something else?? 

 

What I am left with is a oozing hole.  Slow oozing but still........   I use Topical antibiotics now.  

Yeah, I know, go to the vet.  I did.  Okay.  But I want your opinion.  Ever seen this on a dog? Those of you in tick areas, does this look familiar?  Any ideas or is it just a bump gone bad? If your dog had a sebaceous cyst does this look familiar?

SCALY SKIN that goes way beyond the wound.   Also, where the heck is the hair?  It is all falling out

This is what I get out before I put the topical antibiotics on.  

UPDATE:

After that last day we saw 100% improvement.  It has healed over, still looks ugly but not active.  The scaling and hair loss is due to the fact that it killed or damage all the hair follicles around the area.  The scaling is going and there is pink skin only.  Raised area around the site is also gone and closed.   The day I posted this must have been the worst of the worst.  Figures!  I am really patient, it went on for a long time, finally post and..................  It gets better from then on.

COMMON is furry dogs, found in poodles, and expect more.  YES, we have several more going on.

As for that bald spot, well we can just glue some hair on for pictures if it does not grow back.  She has plenty.

 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Update  :(

Thank you all for looking at my goopy pictures and then trying to troubleshoot this with me.   It was cleaned and then left alone all day.  As I sat down to read this I noticed another change.  Suddenly all the surrounding skin is scalding red and hot to the touch.    She now has a new lump about a 1/2 inch away.  Closed.  No visible lesion, still has hair there,  but large enough that I know where this is going.  

We doodlers all think alike.  I've wonder what you all have wondered.  Spider bites, ticks, foreign objects, skin cancer, strep A ( we had a kennel shut down in Ohio because the dogs had strep A a few weeks ago )

For those of you who asked if it was cultured--NO.  .  My vet is pretty laid back.  Start simple and work up.  At the time it didn't warrent any aggressive treatment except anti-biotics.

Off to the Vet

Again Thanks

 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Joanne, Let us know what the vet says about Starlit! Hope this gets figured out soon.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

This is starting to sound more like a deep abscess of some sort. Perhaps some foriegn body? I remember now that  in the past ( no cats allowed to run wild anymore!) our cats used to end up with something very similar to this after being in a "cat fight". An abscess would form where they received a bite and get huge and smelly/oozy (if opened) and the hair would fall out around it. It also would get really hot in that area.   I hope the vet can get to the bottom of this soon! Please keep us posted!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good, don't like the new lump!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

IMO opinion find a different vet.  The vet should have either said "just keep an eye on it and leave it alone, if it changes or gets bigger, come back" Or shaved a small area around the bump to get it clean, be able to see it properly, and then sent you home with oral/topical antibiotics as appropriate with some instructions and a diagnosis even if it was let's just watch it.  If it heals in a week or is enormously better - great, if not bring her back.  I do not understand antibiotics without a thorough look at it or shaving the hair.

 

I have no idea what started it at this point, but to me it looks like a quickly enlarging hot spot.  Hot spots start from any number of things that damge the surface of the skin and get invaded by bacteria. They get pus-filled, scaly, red, and can really get large.  If it is in an area that the dog can lick they can get pretty bad.  Always the treatment is cleaning thoroughly, just like on a human, with a dog it nearly, if not always means shaving, and at least a topical antibiotic.  If the hot spot is in an area the dog can lick and despite cleaning and a topical antibiotic it continues to be "hot" a cone may need to be put on the dog.  Old wives tales to the contrary, dog spit is full of bacteria, just like ours and some dogs just can't leave a sore alone.

 

This looks like another trip to a new vet to me.  I do always err on the side of caution.

[Heather & Brinkley]

Brinkley had a cyst-pussy, hard, started to look a bit bloody.  My husband has seen the same thing in the ER (for humans) where he works.  He's treated it before on humans (I know, not the same) but he squeezed out the cyst.  the hard circle came out out and it got bloody. It wasn't pleasant for Brinkley or for us. We sterilized it and put a gauze pad on it.  We kept a close eye on it, changing the bandages every few hours.  If it would have turned red at all we would have brought him to the vet but after we got rid of the cyst and all the puss, etc it scabbed up and healed. It was on his belly so no hair to lose.  Not sure if this is the same thing but it's the closest that I could relate to.  I hope your pup is better soon.  I do know that Brinkley was in some pain-- and the pain went away as soon as the cyst was expelled.  Honestly, I didn't advocate my husband taking it into his own hands and wouldn't recommend that.  I'm glad it turned out okay on our part but wouldn't try it again.  Good luck!!

[Debbie and Thomas]

We had a tick removed from our doodle in November.  I found a small lump...about the size of a pea one evening and looked at it...wondered what it was and told myself to keep an eye on it. (never in my wildest dreams did I think it could be a tick...never had seen one before)  The next evening the lump was triple the size and the skin around it was red.  I called the vet immediately...took him over and he removed a huge engorged disgusting tick.  He gave us antibiotics to prevent any infection of the area.  That big red blob sticking out of Starlit in your picture looks exactly like the huge tick sticking out of Thomas except his was just black.  But you were squeezing at it so it could have caused the blood to ooze out.  Please let us know what your vet decided that this thing is.  I

[Kyoko]

Oh, god... It looks painful... I never seen anything like this... So sorry that she had ro experience something like this... I hope she get better soon....

[Bonnie and Kona]

Anxious to hear Starlit is improving. This looks awful. So sorry.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am following this to find out the diagnosis.  Poor Starlit.

Ned and Clancy send get well wishes to Starlit.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Joanne, I feel so bad this hasn't gotten better for Starlit.  Have you looked for a dermotoligist for a 2nd opinion?

[shelly]

You know.... I have seen wounds similar to this when a tick was imbedded and went unnoticed and got so engorged, they fell off, leaving a bloody blob like this.  BUT after a few days it stopped bleeding, but if it was disturbed it would bleed again. 

I hope she feels better!  Poor puppy!