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marricgardens

lump on dogs side

marricgardens
12 years ago

A few years ago I noticed my Aussie had a small bump on her side. Over the next 2 years, every time I asked the vet about it all she would say was that it was probably just a skin growth, Rosie was only 3 at the time. The bump never got any larger until this past year. One day when she was outside she must have scratched it because there was a bit of blood, not much. I did notice what looked like pus in the bump. I used a sterile knife and lanced it. When I squeezed it there was a toothpaste like pus that came out. Amazingly, the bump went down. When we took her in for her check up another vet looked at it and decided to try and squeeze it which only made it really swell up. She told us to try putting Polysporin on it and see if that helped. We took her home and are now adding the Poly to it each day. The swelling has gone down. She wears a collar (this one is clear plastic) but even with that on she can still reach the wound which is behind her front leg. She has managed to rip off 2 bandages. Sorry for the long story. My question is, how can I put a bandage on her that will stay on? Marg

Comments (11)

  • joepyeweed
    12 years ago

    It sounds like the sebaceous cysts that one of my dogs used to get. They are harmless, but if it opens up and the dog starts gnawing on them, they should be removed.

    You should get a longer/larger e-collar. The dog should not be able to bite the wound with the right size collar on.

    You probably won't be able to get any wound dressing to stay on, if the dog can bite it. I would cover the wound with a sterile pad, then wrap it in cotton gauze and then wrap/cover the gauze with some of that sticky bandage wrap. (I did a bit of googling and found the sticky wraps are called "vet wraps"). Be careful when wrapping not to go too tight, don't impede circulation.

    If it doesn't heal up soon, or continues to ooze, I would take my dog to a different vet. They shouldn't have "squeezed" it - no matter what it was... and they should have given you a proper fitting collar. I wouldn't give that vet the opportunity to make another error.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Vet wrap

  • marricgardens
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the info. This vet bought out our old vet who retired. Not to sure I like her. The wound is not oozing but it is open so I'm still putting on the polysporin. I tried the link you provided but it says the page has been moved or deleted so I will google 'vet wrap'. Thanks. Marg

  • annzgw
    12 years ago

    I really hate the E-collars since my dogs would get so stressed with them. The link below shows other options and you may be able to find them at your local pet store.

    Besides the collar (or maybe in place of) you could try putting a T-shirt on him and tape or pin the excess so it fits him better. I wouldn't tape it to his fur since it will pull as he moves and make him more uncomfortable. There are also lycra body suits made for dogs but they're more expensive than a T-shirt and I don't know if they'd be too hot on a long haired dog.

    As mentioned above, I'd find another vet and have the lump removed since it may become an ongoing problem. Did the lance you made require stitches? If that has healed and it's just a lump it shouldn't be uncomfortable to your dog.
    Keep an eye on her while she's wearing the E-collar and make sure she's able to eat & drink easily.

    Here is a link that might be useful: collars

  • anoriginal
    12 years ago

    Had a Dobie years ago who had a lump on her thigh for YEARS... didn't appear until she was 6-7 yo. Since she had very short hair, it was easy to see/feel. Vet kinds felt around and said... sabaceous cyst (basically a big pimple that just never made it to the surface??), nothing to worry about, "cosmetic". She had it for years and one day came home and it was GONE... but HOLE somewhere around quarter to half dollar size!! Nothing really gross about it besides thought of WHAT might have come out of it. Took her to vet just to have it looked at. Was told they COULD cut area out so when it healed... no real scar... but didn't recommend cuz by then she was probably about 10 yo. Luckily, she really didn't bother the spot. I made sure the area stayed clean and over time it just healed up... she ended up with a dime-sized "bald spot".

  • marricgardens
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Rosie is doing fine. Today she taught herself how to get rid of the collar! I was thinking of getting one of those dog coats, they fasten around the neck and I could put a bandage on under it. Just have to make sure it is not a really heavy one. I'm keeping the wound clean and applying the Polysporin. If it doesn't close properly, I'll take her to another vet for stitches. Marg

  • vieja_gw
    12 years ago

    Our Siberian Husky 'Shaman' had some lumps on his side under the long hair which we were told by the vet they were 'probably fatty tumors...(?lipoid tumors)like humans get & not to worry'. Later it turns out they were malignant & he had to be euthanized in the late stages.... felt so betrayed & also guilty for not getting more info.

    Years ago we had both a German Shepherd & Doberman females that had been neutered as youngsters & both developed breast cancer as older adults which we were told the neutering would prevent. Another healthy young Shepherd was found dead by our back door one morning some years ago of that twisted bowel syndrome ... we have had many mixed breed dogs... but mainly purebred German Shepherds... for 30 some years & I mourn the loss of each one as they age & pass on from so many of these problems ... like their human owners I guess! Wish I knew how to send some photos of them to this site as I have hundreds I bet taken of them all in a huge album full of happy memories of them all!

  • PRO
    Flex Design LLC
    12 years ago

    Our 11 y.o. beagle mix has had a benign looking fatty tumor like lump for approx 4-5 yrs on the back of his neck which has within the past months grown to be about peachpit size. Wondering if it too is a sabaceous cyst. Recently he scratched it and it has started to bleed. We thought about shaving his hair around to get a better look. There isn't anything pus-like, just a scratch. Any thoughts on how to proceed?

  • marricgardens
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The lump Rosie had was growing a bit larger. Sometimes it was bleeding a bit. We took her back to another vet and he recommended having it removed. We did and they sent it away because he said it was 'localized'. They sent it away to test for cancer. She is doing much better now. I'm the nervous one waiting for the results! Marg

  • joepyeweed
    12 years ago

    The test for cancer is just routine for any tissue that is removed. My bet its a benign cyst, they are pretty common. Best of luck with your results. Make sure you keep us posted.

  • trancegemini_wa
    12 years ago

    bertman if it's growing quickly then I would have it removed. I had something similar with one of my dogs, a small little lump that I thought was just a wart and was there for ages suddenly started growing quickly into a tumor on my dogs shoulder. The vet said when they start growing quickly like that or if they bleed they should be removed.

  • marricgardens
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Just thought I'd let you know that we had the lump removed and they sent it away. The results came back, it was not cancer, what a relief! Rosie is now back to her old self, maybe my imagination, but a bit more of a suck! Marg
    Here's are a few pictures of Rosie
    The first two were taken when she was 2-3 years old.

    This is Rosie with our other Aussie RileyRosie was 4 and Riley was 8. That was before we moved to the farm.

    I decided to try the T shirt on her but she chewed them up in 2 days so we had to go back to the cone they gave us.
    {{!gwi}}