I have a three year old GSD Service Dog. He constantly gets reoccurring cysts. I have seen them described as lymphomas or sebaceous cysts. These are small 2-3mm just under the skin cysts. They sometimes have a flaky patch on top of them that is easily removed. If you squeeze the cyst it is uncomfortable for the dog. Some of them form a head and release puss. Mostly they recede back into the body and just go away. One that I messed with ended up becoming inflamed and caused a sore that healed. The vet told me that surgery will not be necessary for them unless they present an irritation problem or become very large.

My vet told me that GSDs are predisposed to them. It is not uncommon. Most of the cysts will not be a problem. I should not worry unless they become inflamed or become larger, then he will deal with them.

I have done multiple searches on this problem, but I have not found a thread that has a cohesive amount of information. We should have one good thread on this common ailment on this site IMO.

I have read that Salmon oil can cause this problem and that it may be diet related. I had changed my dogs diet from Taste of the Wild to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon. He was eating 40lbs of dry and two cases of cans a month. He is a big boy. I have since changed his diet back to TOW non salmon foods. The number, size, and severity of the cysts have decreased.

My reading on the net has also shown that some using a product called Luster Coat helps. I have been trying this also. It is a mix of oils (not salmon), but the effective ingredient in this product is probably the Garlic Oil.

The current two cysts have healed, but now I have two more small ones this month. I am still playing with diet and additives to see if I can eliminate the problem. I have gone through at least 10 of these cysts so far.

Sebaceous cysts are nothing more than sebaceous glands which are blocked and acting badly. If / when they do burst (they will, if they get large enough, and they usually continue to grow). I do not know if what my GSD has is correctly diagnosed.

There are also lymphomas. lymphomas are usually soft, near the surface, and have a very rounded (not lumpy) nature. This is a better description of what my dog has.

If you have this problem with your GSD, please chime in and we can help each other. If you have gone through this problem and have some advice, I would love to hear it. I strongly believe that this problem is probably diet related.

So far I have been able to reduce the problem by changing foods and using the Luster Coat. These cysts are almost like zits that don't come to a head. My vet said that I will most likely be dealing with the issue for the rest of the dogs life, but he is willing to supply me with any medications or supplements I find may help the dog. Since my dog is a Service dog, he receives a very high quality of care. He is very important to me, for obvious reasons, and solving this problem is also very important.

I will continue to check in and update this thread. I hope others that have this same problem with their GSD will have a place to come for help on this problem.

He, Ken,

Can you link me to authoritative info on salmon oil contributing to sebaceous cysts? (I don't know what the mechanism would be.)


Sebaceous cysts should not be squeezed. This can trigger a "backup," causing a bacterial skin infection that may need antibiotics. These cysts are vulnerable to secondary infections.

Keeping it clean, dry, and unlicked is important.




Isn't Luster Coat an Omega 3-6-9 supplement? It's unlikely that a dog would be low on Omega 6s in the modern diet. Long-chain 3s, OTOH, are woefully underrepresented in the modern diet.

Luster coat provides no long-chain 3s, if I recall correctly. Its 3s are plant-based only (like ALA), and dogs don't have the mechanism that humans do to convert the shorter chain 3s to the EPA and DHA that we give something like fish oil for. (This mechanism is unreliable and inefficient in humans, as a matter of fact, but it does convert some shorter-chain 3s to EPA and DHA -- maybe 5% to up to 15% in some individuals. Not so in dogs.)



I have some saved material on sebaceous cysts that I'll post a little later.



Lymphoma is not the same as sebaceous cysts. Lymphoma is cancer.


Lipomas, or fatty tumors:

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesl/a/lipomas.htm

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=33488&page=1#379951

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-papillomas-lipomas-cysts-basal-cell-tumors

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/cysts/249

http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/canine-sebaceous-cysts-4424.html

My Grace pretty much always had one or two sebaceous cysts throughout her life. As a young dog, she had one removed that was just a mess. I was younger and naive then...was SHOCKED to see how large the incision was.

After that we just kept them clean and used some topical stuff (I like this stuff: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Herbal-Ointment/999126.aspx). They would eventually ooze a bit and then dry up/go away.

She was fed a raw diet. Sometimes, she had fish oil/salmon oil...sometimes, she didn't. Didn't seem to have any effect on whether or not she developed cysts.

My last dog started to develop cysts as he got older, we didn't have any issues with them. Have you thought about taking your dog to a veterinary dermatologist? There is also a good vet dermatology site online. My understanding is that a GSD's skin ph is different from other dogs, which predisposes it to some skin issues.

Totally agree with Connie, cysts/abcesses shouldn't be squeezed, you are sending that infection back into the body where it can cause problems elsewhere.

My current dog was getting cysts back when she was younger, with her allergies under control we no longer have them, although I do have gentamicin skin spray if need be.

Yes, Lipomas is what I wrote...I guess that is the spelling corrector. Sorry. The Salmon Oil comment was just in someones post. No authority... I can find so little genuine reputable information on these cysts on any board at all. That is why I decided to start this one.

The Luster coat has Garlic Oil in it as well as a bunch of other oils. I figured it could not hurt. He sure likes it on his kibble.

Did I say I squeezed the cysts? Sorry. No I do not squeeze them. My vet told me not too. It seems to hurt the dog just when I pay them any attention. I have just come up on using Turmeric extract for cysts on dogs. Anybody?

I have taken the dog to the vet numerous times. He is a Mobility Service Dog. The Guide Dog Foundation/Vet Dogs trained him for me. I am missing part of a leg and have a broken back besides other injuries. Vet bills and medicine is free for me through the VA, and since he is so important, he goes to the vet for a hiccup. Actually the vet comes to me. He sends me all required medication through the mail as needed.

"Don't pick at it" is good advice for most lumps and bumps.

Your dog has a wonderful expression.

I was just saying that "don't squeeze" has more weight to it than discomfort for the dog.

Turmeric (specifically Curcuma longa) and curcumin, its primary active ingredient, seem to have anti-tumor properties. I've read quite a bit about curcumin extract and lipomas.

It's possible that curcumin may also have benefits against sebaceous cysts, but I think it would be less direct ... that is, circumin's anti-inflammation effects are probably beneficial against most inflammatory disorders.

But insofar as it affects tumors, it may actually shrink some tumors, and it appears to make some tumors more susceptible to chemotherapy.

I think I have some material saved on that.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

... Turmeric (specifically Curcuma longa) and curcumin, its primary active ingredient, seem to have anti-tumor properties. I've read quite a bit about curcumin extract and lipomas.

It's possible that curcumin may also have benefits against sebaceous cysts, but I think it would be less direct ... that is, circumin's anti-inflammation effects are probably beneficial against most inflammatory disorders.

But insofar as it affects tumors, it may actually shrink some tumors, and it appears to make some tumors more susceptible to chemotherapy.

I think I have some material saved on that.

http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjlipomas.html

http://www.dogcancerblog.com/lipoma-and-liposarcoma-in-the-dog-fatty-tumors/#.Un7kNBxa4bw

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20924967

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/curcumin/