serious input NEEDED. Skin issues - with pictures

[lindsayanng]

Please, i would love for EVERYONE to look at these pictures and give me SOME sort of an idea.

We have gone to the vet numerous times for this and just can NOT figure out what it going on.

First, it was a small slightly balding spot that was a little red.. NOW the spot is about 3 inches long and 2inches wide and is a LOT more red and is completely bald.. He is also still shedding hair from EVERY part of his body - he is shedding EVERYWHERE!

Also, we noticed this weird thing (see pictures) about 2 weeks ago. At first i thought it was just a scab or something from running through the woods. We have not yet brought this to the attention of the vet because i just now noticed that it was still there.

I clipped the hair away so we can get a better picture, so this particular area is NOT missing hair. The shape is what is the weirdest thing about it.. it looks kinda like an "in-y" belly button. Its like a bump on the outside with a small slit/hole underneath it.

The dark spots around it are NOT dirt OR dried blood. I have NO IDEA what it is. I tried cleaning it gently with some peroxide and a Q-tip. It showed nothing on the Q-tip.

Also, this thing is VERY VERY small, its about the size of a pimple.. It also does not seem to hurt him or bother him in any way. When i was cleaning it, he had no reaction at all.

Red Bald Spot (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/lindsayanng/petproblems/pet_problems_002.jpg)

Red Bald Spot 2 (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/lindsayanng/petproblems/pet_problems_003.jpg)

BUMP (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/lindsayanng/petproblems/pet_problems_006.jpg)

Bump (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/lindsayanng/petproblems/pet_problems_007.jpg)

Bump - here you can see the hole/slit (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/lindsayanng/petproblems/pet_problems_008.jpg)

[Hunna]

To me, they look like marks from scratching. Bandit gets very simmilar markings on his belly at season changes. I have this spray that is for razor burn that I put on him, and it seems to help. And I do give him benedryl if he gets too bad, oatmeal baths and such.

Are Cappy's nails trimmed and filed? A rough freshly cut nail could do it for sure.

Hope you find your answer soon. I'm not sure If I was helpful at all, it seems if it was something that simple surely your vet would have suggested it.

[Macawpower58]

Lindsay, where is the bump?

Your photo doesn't show the location, and I feel silly asking, but it's not one of his nipples is it?

[lindsayanng]

NO! haha.. we thought it was a nipple at first, but it is DEFINITELY not.

if you look at the FIRST picture of the red bald spot, you can actually see a small dark dot directly below it (towards cappy's left side) That is where it is..

As for his nails, they havent been an issue and we have not had to trim them because he walks on the pavement enough that the pavement keeps them nice and short and they stay smooth. Theres no sharp edges.

The vet said something about "lazy dog syndrome" which is just their way of saying, rub burn from laying on his stomach.. i really just cant accept that.. For one, cappy NEVER sleeps on the floor, he always sleeps on the sofa which is VERY VERY soft, and he doesnt really sleep with his chest on the ground, he sleeps on his side. ALso, the other reason that I cant believe this is that he is loosing hair all over like crazy! He is shedding like it was the first warm week of the year.

[Macawpower58]

Most dogs do a heavy shed before winter. Out with summer hair, in with winter.

I also thought his redness looked like rugburn. Does he squirm around on the couch, or bunch blankets/pillows under himself?

[lindsayanng]

he does "fluff" his bed.. he walks in circles and pulls up all the corners of his bed, but i dont think that would cause the rug burn..

He does sometimes squirm on the carpet, but ALWAYS on his back, never really on his chest.. actually, NEVER on his chest.. the ONLY time his chest really hits the floor is when he stretches.. On top of that, we dont REALLY have carpeting in our house.. we have hardwood floors and 2 SMALL area rugs.. When he sleeps, hes on the couch, futon, or his bed..

[DachshundDuo]

That bump is odd, isn't it. If you press on it does he complain? It looks irritated, like it's infected. Do you think it could be an ingrown hair, or a black head?

[tiffers]

It still looks like a nipple to me, even after looking at the location on the first image.

However, it kind of looks like Cappy is rubbing his belly on something...like everyone else is saying. Like...when you put him outside or anywhere and he 'army crawls'...?

[lindsayanng]

No, he has no reaction if i touch it.. its REALLY odd. I did try to "pop" it and nothing happens, HOWEVER the part that looks raise (above the slit/hole) is more like a flap of skin than a bump.. It doesnt FEEL like a pimple, it doesnt feel like there is anything underneath the skin, but the blackness around it is freaking me out..

and that bump thing paired with the hairloss has me nervous. The vet just cant figure it out.

The only time he "army crawls" is when he is stretching, thats IT. He is RARELY outside without us, and i think we would see him doing something like that.. It is DEFINITELY not a nipple. I can actually count all of his nipples AND the nipples that I see on him are all MUCH MUCH smaller.

Doesnt it seem odd to you that there is black stuff around it AND that tehre is a hole around it.. Seriously, think about an inny belly button, because that is what it looks like up close.

[MandyPug]

He might be toxic...
I've seen this before at the store. Normal dog, healthy, just random onset of skin issues without an explanation.
We typically try a detox, and when it's over the issues have resolved. It only makes sense that if a body is toxic it will try to remove the toxins as fast as possible which ends up being through the largest organ possible, the skin.
Another thing we've found works for skin issues is Neem Oil. It is wonderful for ANY skin issue, however it is only fixing the symptom. We wanna know what is causing it, so we can prevent it from happening again.

[lindsayanng]

How do you "detoxify" a dog?? i would be willing to try anything at this point..

just so you know, Cappy is on Innova ADult dog food, he now gets Salmon Oil added to his food daily for the last month or so, he gets hollistic treats (aside from the occasional milkbone) and overall has been acting healthy.

[Macawpower58]

What is his futon made of? Have you thought of removing items one at a time to see if they are the irritant? What do you wash his bed/rugs with? Sometimes a detergent is the culprit.

[MandyPug]

How do you "detoxify" a dog?? i would be willing to try anything at this point..

just so you know, Cappy is on Innova ADult dog food, he now gets Salmon Oil added to his food daily for the last month or so, he gets hollistic treats (aside from the occasional milkbone) and overall has been acting healthy.

Try and get in contact with a holistic vet...
You can go search them HERE (http://www.holisticvetlist.com/)
Since i don't know how far one of those will be away from you (i don't know the states all that well) you can take a looksie through. Even calling one to talk to would open up some more possible treatments for Cappy.

[e1beth1]

lindsay, Cappy's spots look just like Kaylees, she had a skin scrapping done and it ended up being a staph infection of her skin. The spots really do look like nipples, but they're in all the wrong places and if you squeeze them, they ooze slightly. It's coming back too, she's going to have to go back to the vet for more antibiotics once I get paid at the end of the week. Right now, we bathe her in a medicated shampoo twice a week to help, Oxy something, can't remember off the top of my head.

[dlaura]

Lindsay I am sorry I can't be more explicate here, but once while at the vets with one of our pets we were delayed for our appt because of an emergency. It turned out someone had brought their dog in for something similar to what Cappy seems to have and it was some sort of bug that goes in under the skin and lives right around that very spot and if left there I believe it can do heart damage. I'm not sure if that is what Cappy has but maybe you could ask your vet about it - I'm sorry I've forgotten the exact name of the bug type parasite.

[lindsayanng]

OMG now you got me really paranoid dLaura.. i will call him on that right away. My husband is home, so he can get cappy to the vet.

Cappy actually DID have a staph infection, which was what we initially THOUGHT was causing the hair loss. He had little red pimple looking bumps on his groin area. He was treated with the antibiotic AND steriods, which helped the small red bumps a lot, but not the Dark Hole/bump or the hair loss.. I guess it still COULD be staph that didnt finish clearing.

I will bring up the point to the vet today about the bug. I dont want to wait and see if things get worse. Thats just not how i operate.

[e1beth1]

Lord, now I'm paranoid too. Especially since Kaylee's mess started after a 3 day camping trip. I'm curious to know what you find out, lindsay, because Kaylee's bumps look just like Cappy's.

[lindsayanng]

where abouts do you live? because the only bug that i can find that can cause that lives in the desert

[e1beth1]

I live in Western Virginia we were camping near the West Va. border. No desert here. It's still driving me crazy that it just won't completely go away.

[DachshundDuo]

Let us know what the vet says, Lindsay. I'm worried about Cappy - I love him!

elbeth1, I hope it is nothing serious with your dog. What does your vet say?

[e1beth1]

Let us know what the vet says, Lindsay. I'm worried about Cappy - I love him!

elbeth1, I hope it is nothing serious with your dog. What does your vet say?

Skin scrapping indicated a staph infection. We thought we had it treated but it's apparently coming back. She's going to the vet at the first of next week.

[e1beth1]

Here are a couple of pictures of Kaylee's stomach:

[lindsayanng]

thats kinda what cappy's groin looked like, but the black bump is weird..

BTW, he saw the vet today.. Still no real answer.. he took a swab, but nothing really came off on teh swab, so he doesnt know if he will be able to see anything on it.

He said its DEFINITELY not a bug bite because there is nothing in or under it that is swelling.. Its some weird skin thing, but we have no IDEA what

In December, we are going to have him take an allergy test. Our insurance will cover it, so it will be better doing it then. its the last thing i can think of

[MandyPug]

In December, we are going to have him take an allergy test. Our insurance will cover it, so it will be better doing it then. its the last thing i can think of

have you looked at the homeopathic vets yet?
They often have creative ways of thinking that can help figure out something that a traditional vet wouldn't even think of.
Don't eliminate natural medicine it may be the thing to fix all this!

[lindsayanng]

there are a few nearby, but i have to find out how much they change.. i cant afford an insane amount of money, and since MOST of them are in fairfield county (where the celebrities live) i have a feeling they will be expensive

[MandyPug]

I thought i saw one in the search that was in New Milford (which only struck me cause your things says Milford, CT)... but once again i don't know Connecticut at all so i don't know where that is compared to you.

EDIT:
here's an article i found on detox... it's similar to the one i send home with clients at the store.
http://animalwellnessmagazine.com/art/aV55_28.htm

[lindsayanng]

New Milford is actually about 1 hour from me.. New Milford and Milford are kinda far from each other... Westport, Meriden, ect.. those are close, but rich town.