Hi all,

I've done a search on sores here in Leerburg, and did searchs online to see examples of dog sores, and haven't seen anything like the one my dog gets around his neck and muzzle.

Last night he woke me up scratching and scratchig. Found a *thick* grainy scab surrounded by red skin near his lip running almost to his poor eye. Nasty looking; doesn't smell and he doesn't lose his hair but the hair clumps around the scab, of course.

He had one just like it a month or so back on his neck. (Feb; we're in West Virginia and it was cold. He's an indoor dog, so I really doubt it was a flea infection.)

I assumed the blade on my grooming tool was a bit too warm and got too close and I may have caused it. I treated it with hydrogen peroxide and eventually picked the scab off and kept wiping it down with peroxide until it went away on it's own. (Was also concerned that it might be some kind of infestation--the reason I picked off the crud. It was grainy and kinda soft with a crust on top. Sorry, I know it's gross...)

So, it's back again, now buried in hair on his muzzle.

He's a creamy white cockapoo so his muzzle hair stays kinda long so it wasn't my fault this time. He could have scratched himself, tho.

He also has one foot that's a mess; always licking one back foot and it stays tender...and it's the same foot that he uses to scratch his muzzle. Hmmmmm...spreading something?

Any clues? Again, never seen a pic of this scabby stuff online anywhere. And it doesn't ooze anything like a hot spot would.

THanks,
Kim

Can you take a photo?

You beat me, Betty!

And link us to it for a good closeup without overwhelming the thread? (Photobucket is good.)

Many of these "sores" are mild staph infections of the skin, caused by the skin becoming moist or abraded in some way.
Clipping the area with sissors to allow air to penetrate, washing and drying the lesion, applying an antibiotic ointment, occasionally a cortizone ointment as well, can help with the flare. Sometimes there is yeast, or mange, or ringworm but most commonly it is a bacterial infection which if not too large can be managed without systemic antibiotics. On the nose, some of these are caused by a reaction to a plastic feeding dish or a filthy food/water bowel. So change from plastic to metal or ceramic, and put the dish thru the dishwasher to sterilize it.

Hi, Hadn't considered the dishes. They are plastic and we wash them on occasion but not regularly. He also grazes and runs his muzzle through the grass and there's a bunch of weeds out there so for all I know he's allergic to something outside. (That doesn't explain why he only licks one foot.)

As far as an image, it's really buried in his muzzle hair and wiskers and I'm not sure I should cut all that away but I might have to. I was planning on taking him to the vet but I'd like to avoid it if I can treat him myself, you know? I'm not all that crazy about the vets around here.

I mainly wanted to know if anyone else has seen a dark, ugly, ichy, thick scab on their dogs that was at least dime-sized with red skin under/surrounding it. No pus or odor.

Tanks,
Kim

 Quote: Kim Wibbing

I mainly wanted to know if anyone else has seen a dark, ugly, ichy, thick scab on their dogs that was at least dime-sized with red skin under/surrounding it. No pus or odor.

Tanks,
Kim

Picture? My dog once slipped and fell, end up with something like this. It was a rub really...I knew the cause and therefore, felt comfortable treating it. I used this: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Herbal-Ointment/999126.aspx successfully.

If I didn't know the cause, I'd probably head to the vet.

I have seen lesions such as you describe on creamy white cockapoos.

I'll try to take a pic. You'll prob not see much, tho. Just black with hair growing through it and around it, with red around the sides

I found this, which makes me wonder:

"When a Lump May Be a Cancer: Rapid enlargement; appears hard and fixed to surrounding tissue; any lump growing from bone; a lump that starts to bleed; a mole that begins to spread and/or ulcerate; unexplained open sore that does not heal, especially on feet or legs; any lump in the breast. Note: Only way to tell for sure is to biopsy the lump. "

Maybe it isn't a scab at all. I mean, it's weird; very crumbly and grainy under a hard top. He's been licking his one foot forever, too. I mentioned it to the doc and she just shrugged it off.

Sigh. I'll not panic just yet, tho.

Uh, geee...I just found out that someone unplugged my camera cable from the computer and it's missing. All kinds of problems today.

Although it doesn't sound much like it from your description, we have so much leishmaniasis here that it's always a consideration when a dog has multiple lesions. Is there any leishmaniasis in West Virginia? But since dogs usually get the visceral form, I think your dog would be a lot sicker if it was leishmaniasis.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/379955211_f3d1ef569c.jpg
Don't open the link if you can't handle unpleasant images...