OK. I will post a pic or two. Can I insert it into the post or do I have to just use a link to photo-bucket?

So far just by manipulating the diet, I THINK I have decreased the problem 90%. The first cysts were large, ruptured, messy, and ended up as sores that had to heal. One popped like a black head. I had the dog at the vet after the second cysts. I used antibiotic cream on them. There was a drastic decrease in the size, number and severity of the cysts after I put him back on his previous diet. At the same time I added the Dream Coat product to his kibble.

Something I did made a difference (or not). I am a Scientist, so the reasons for the problem, the cures, even the genetic link is all suspect in my eyes. There is no scientific method here.... I cannot believe that there is no journal out there that is dedicated to these kinds of issues available to us. Treating my dog almost seems like witch craft at this point.

If someone has the same problem and uses the same methods and gets favorable results and keeps this post going, we will have something... Please write me if you do. I would love to know more about this issue. I will be dealing with if for some time if it is genetic.

BTW I choose my foods by using this site.
Dog Adviser. It seems to be non-biased by manf. It has a lot of explanation on ingredients, nutrition, etc.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com

"OK. I will post a pic or two. Can I insert it into the post or do I have to just use a link to photo-bucket?"



A link, please. Thanks!





ETA
I noticed reference to diet and hormones on at least one of the vet med sites I linked above. There were a few possible causes and several contributing factors listed ... but you're right: no specific prevention steps.

Maybe your diet change decreased overall fat intake?



ETA #2
I'll check out a small-animal derm handbook tonight.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (11/13/2013 09:57 AM)
Edit reason: ETA #2

The best journal out there is the Whole Dog Journal. It does do intelligent, science-based reporting, especially on dog foods, but also covers a range of health and training issues (and accepts no advertising.)

Within the last year, they had a long article about lipomas (probably unrelated, since yours sound more like sebaceous cysts.) But if you're a scientist, I think you'd like this publication. Most "dog magazines" are full of kibble ads and dog clothing. This isn't that.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

The best journal out there is the Whole Dog Journal. It does do intelligent, science-based reporting, especially on dog foods, but also covers a range of health and training issues (and accepts no advertising.)

Within the last year, they had a long article about lipomas (probably unrelated, since yours sound more like sebaceous cysts.) But if you're a scientist, I think you'd like this publication. Most "dog magazines" are full of kibble ads and dog clothing. This isn't that.

There's something I want to read in WDJ every single month ... very often, the whole issue.

I think it's excellent.


As Tracy says, this is NOT Doggy Glossy, loaded with kennel classifieds and crap-in-a-bag ads.

Update... The cysts are still staying small. i have another on the top of his back six inches from the tail, one more under his neck that is scabbed up already but you can still feel the little lump, and one more on his face down from his ear that is almost gone. Still flaking a little.

I am a scientists type... I will go for the journal. Right up my alley...Thanks.

And the dog isn't itchy, right? I ask that only because of the location of the new spot (the base-of-tail area is classic flea territory).

No the dog is not itchy. He is on Frontline.

Update: So since writing this thread I have stayed with the diet plan and the Dream Coat product.

I am down to only one cysts left(under his chin). It is scabbed up and looks like it is going away. I have no new cysts. They have stopped appearing. It was almost one a day for a while there. I could be missing some, but I think I may have it under control by addressing the diet. I will continue to update. I have gone through almost one bottle of the additive by now, and into one & a half months on the TOW food without any salmon.

I have an appointment with a skin specialist of Dec 3. I hope by then I do not have any cysts, but that is the closest date I could get. That is going to be a duh if I have no cysts and have an appt...

3 more cysts today. I was so hopeful. One little one starting on his ear too. I feel so bad for him. The dogs always suffer pain in silence. I have a new localized medicine that the vet sent, with no dosing instructions. I am going to wait to see the dermotologist at the app scheduled to see what they say. I am so lucky that the VA pays my vet bills. Well Thunder is lucky, I was not. I will keep the thread up to date.

Actually, if he was going to have any more, it's kind of good to have them appear now, before your December 3 derm appointment.

So here is my final report. I went to the Dog Skin Specialist. Big specialist place. Full ER, every specialist you can imagine. Anyway... She told me:
GSDs are a breed that is genetically prone to sebaceous cysts
My dog does have sebaceous cysts.
I will deal with the cysts for the life of the dog, but they may go away with age, as they appear with age. My dog didn't get them till he hit 3 years old.

This is the treatment:
Don't mess with them. Don't squeeze them or try to pop them.
Most of them will go away. Some will end up like black heads.
Make sure they have a diet or supplement that has BALANCED Omega-3 and Omega-6s such as Dream Coat or Missing Link Ultimate Skin & Coat Dog Supplement. I use both.
Otherwise Diet does not have much effect on the issue according to the vet.

When the cyst forms a crust on it use Douxo Seborrhea Spot-On around the edge of the cyst. This is a thick liquid medicine in little plastic ampules. It is a solution containing phytosphingoine.

(NOTE Phytosphingosine is a natural chemical found in the body and is part of the family of lipids. Phytosphingosine lipids inhibit micro-organisms and are considered part of the body’s natural defense system, and have bacteria-killing properties. Not only does this enable Phytosphingosine to prevent acne from forming, but recent studies in France have also shown it to act as an anti-inflammatory at concentrations as low as 1%. You can find this product in acne fighting products in non prescription formulas.

When/if the cyst ruptures use an antibiotic cream such as Mupirocin Ointment 2% on the open cyst until it heals.

Both of these medications were prescribed for my dog.
If the cyst becomes infected then you need to see the vet ASAP and get the dog on antibiotics.

Both of the Omega supplements I am using on the kibble the dog really likes. The powder (Missing Link Product) is a tablespoon per day sprinkled over the food and the Dream Coat product is a liquid that you pour on the kibble.

Of all the cysts that my dog has had so far only one has ended up as a black head, two have ended up rupturing. Typically my dog has up to three cysts smaller than a pea at any one time. The majority of them just absorb back into the skin.

If the cyst ruptures and ends up in a place that the dog can scratch, they will keep it open longer due to the itching when it heals. This is one of the reasons you want to use the Spot-On product if the cyst forms a crust. You want it to heal from there, not get ripped open from the dog scratching.

Thankfully my GSD is a Mobility Service Dog supplied to me by VetDogs and the Veterans Administration covers the vet bills and medications. Hopefully you can benefit from what I went through on this issue.
Thank you for all of you that tried to help me out with this issue.