Pure bred vet visit?

Question

My pure-bred Pom has a skin condition in which she flakes really bad. I use an Oatmeal shampoo on her when I bathe her and sometimes put T-Gel Dandruff gel on here when she gets really bad. Earlier this week, we noticed that she has scratched and bitten the area above her tail raw. I also found a small lump just above one of her teats about 3 weeks earlier and was planning to take her to the vet about it.

She is almost 10 years old and has never been spayed as I bred her once before and had planned to breed her again before she hit 5 years but thought against it due to her small size. At any rate, I took her to the vet and they insist that the scratch and biting wounds are from fleas, perhaps an allergic reaction to even just one flea bite. She has been infested 2 times in her life, once when my husband took her to a friends house and once when she was groomed at ....a commercial groomers who I won't say so I don't get sued...P**t's M**t...never again.

Yesterday at the vet's office, I found one flea after we arrived, it could have actually come from their office. At any rate, they claimed fleas but I think it has come from her being exposed to insulation. She goes in behind the air conditioner in the garage sometimes and we found some of the insulation torn down by our other dog.

At any rate, this is most likely the cause of the itching and the scratching. How do I get this out of her skin as the vet prescribed antibiotics and steroids (which may actually help the mammory infection, but not the itching on her backside if it is from the insulation). We found no flea dirt in the exam, the intern did find white flaky dander which is actually normal and I told her this, but I am worried that we will never really get her healed if I do not get the root of the problem solved.

In addition to this, the vet suggests that we do a spaying and take out the mass on her mammory, which I am for taking out the mass but perplexed on the spaying. Hopefully this is really just a calcium deposit and the anitbiotics and steroids do the trick. I know the vet means well and she is very concerned...I really like her but I've also known my dog for 9 years and know her chemistry so I'm not sold yet on the treatment.

Has anyone dealt with older dogs, non-spayed and mammory cysts?

Let me clarify on the dog shampoo, it is a commercial Oatmeal dog shampoo from the pet store. I only use the T-gel when her flaking gets really bad, last time used was 2 years ago.

Thank you Helga and Lauren...only thing I don't like about Yahoo is that I don't see how to respond to people's answers.

Last bath - 3 weeks ago, typically bath once every other month so as not to disturb her essential natural oils. That may actually be too much for her considering her dry skin.

Sorry for the "over-posting", it was the only way I could post more than 700 characters for what I was trying to convey, which was the issue with the insulation (covered and inaccesible for the dogs now) and the mammory issues.

Thanks to all.

Mia

Good analogy DP, this was an emergency vet as a matter a fact as I could not get into my regular vet, I do plan on a second opinion.

Thanks,

:p)

Answer 1

that small lump you found very well could be and probably is mammary cancer from not having your dog spayed. do not use human shampoo for your dog. the ph is different and human shampoos are harsh on a dogs skin. the flakey skin can also be due to hormones or hypothyroidism or aleeriges or poor quality food.

take your dog to the vet asap! if she has mammary cancer it needs to be addressed now. next time please have your dog spayed.

edit- your vet is right to recommend a spay as well. to prevent further tumors or ovarian or uterine cancer or pyometra. have your dog spayed!

Answer 2

So what exactly is the questions? Are you asking what you should do?

I would have her spayed ASAP. The more heat cycles a dog goes through the more likely she is to develop pyometra which is a very nasty and possibly fatal uterine infection. Also, the lump on her breast could be a mammary tumor. Unspayed females are 25% more likely to develop mammary tumors than dogs who are spayed before the first heat cycle. It is more likely that it is a tumor than a calcium deposit or a cyst.

Those two things are more urgent in my mind than her skin problems. When she is spayed, the growth can be removed and sent to a pathologist to determine if it is cancerous. At the same time, the vet should take x-rays of her lungs to rule out metastasis (this is easiest when she is already sedated).

As far as her skin, it could be allergies. Allergies have all kinds of causes. It could be her food, inhalant allergies like pollens or molds, contact allergies, or fleas. If you aren't using a regular flea control, it is very possible that she is getting at least a few flea bites so don't rule that out. Until you are using a regular flea control you can't. Also, frequent bathing can strip the flea products.

Over bathing can also cause dry skin and flaking. Bathe no more often than once a week if absolutely needed. Use lukewarm/tepid water, not warm water.

The insulation, if made of fiberglass definitely could be causing skin irritation. Have you ever gotten that stuff on you? It itches like crazy. Perhaps block that area off to see if that helps.

Answer 3

Just get some proper flea treatment from your vets like Frontline, apply it to your dog's skin, and your done. Then focus on the more worrisome matter: the mammary mass.

I'm afraid you've just discovered why it's important to a dog's health to have her spayed before her first heat. 1 in 4 unspayed b itches get mammary tumours, most of which end up being fatal because they've very hard to completely remove - they usually end up reoccuring and eventually metastasising. Please get this sorted with your vet ASAP, and get future dogs spayed - spaying before the first season gives maximum protection against mammary tumours, after the first season this protection drops by 25%.

Chalice

Answer 4

You may be bathing her too often, that can cause dry skin. My Min Pin had a problem with dry skin once and I got a shampoo from the vet that helped. Also if you suspect dry skin you can put some baby oil on her. I hope that helps you some.
You need to fix it to where she can't get into the insulation.

Answer 5

i have a pom too, and she had that when i first got her, and i think it's because she was in a new area, or something around her she was allergic to. Perhaps your dog is just allergic to the insulation that you talked about. Try to keep her away from it, and maybe it will go away. Bathing her in oatmeal is a good idea too. If that doesn't help, then u should try to find a pom specialist around you, or a dog skin specialist.

Answer 6

I work in a vet clinic and have seen many dogs die from pyometra infections. Having your dog spayed can save her from painful uterine infections and mammory tumors!

Answer 7

You seem to be pretty much against everything.. If you have such a deal with what your vet is telling you, why not get a 2nd opinion from a vet whose opinion you actually value??

Answer 8

I think you forgot your question?