Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

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jillybott
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Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by jillybott »

Hi, I have a giant schnauzer, Titus. He is 13 years old and is on tablets for a heart condition. Last August we noticed a sore on his front leg, it had a white surface of dead skin and was about the size of a 10p coin. We were prescribed dermasol cream and we bathed and cleaned it every day until it eventually got better. Then he got one on the other leg but after that one cleared up he was fine until January when he seems to be getting a new sore every three weeks. He has five at the moment. Obviously we have regular visits to the vet but we can never get to the bottom of what is wrong with him. He is wearing a collar all the time now and has to have his dressings changed three times a day. He is on a two week course of antibiotics at the moment.
I would be really grateful of any advice or ideas as this is affecting his quality of life.
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BeeBee
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by BeeBee »

What have the vets suggested might be causing the sores? What a shame for him, sounds very stressful.
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jillybott
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by jillybott »

Hi, and thank you for your interest. That's the trouble, the vet hasn't said what the sores are or whats causing them. She said that they would have to do a biopsy to be sure and at his age they wouldn't risk putting him under anaesthetic. We are bathing them three times a day and putting the cream on and he is also on antibiotics. To be honest I am thinking of changing my vet.
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by Maty »

Nothing to stop you getting a second opinion from a different vet, you can then decide if you need to change or not ;)
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BeeBee
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by BeeBee »

I think I'd want to know what the likely cause was, so if thats a second opinion, would do that. Trouble is, skin things can be hard to diagnose, but repeated lesions should be addressed as they may be a symptom of something else, poor immunity for example can mean poor healing in skin problems, poor immunity can have several causes, especially in older animals.

Without knowing the cause, the treatment is only symptomatic, and doesnt sound really like its working well for him.
I don't know how you feed him, but you might want to add some oils to his diet as this will help to feed his skin from within over time, but this won't necessarily get to the bottom of what's causing the lesions, that sounds like it should be a priority.

Best of luck, skin problems are difficult and stressful :ymhug:
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jillybott
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by jillybott »

Hi, thank you for your reply. We feed Titus on Burns senior original. I wonder if there are any supplements that we could add. I really feel fed up with the vet because it costs so much and we never get any proper answers; just massive bills! I wouldn't mind if we were getting somewhere. (sorry about the rant!)
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by bmwlya »

Hi
I have a 7 year old Black Standard called Max. He initially had one of these lumps when he was about 2 and a biopsy was taken which stated it was a cyst, no further action
He's since developed these cysts in various sizes and now has about 7 mostly on his back, but there are some tiny ones on his legs
I've done a lot of research on the Internet and its is an area that nobody seems to know a lot about. I can only find one paper written by an American vet, he refers to them as Schnauzer bumps or commodes. The paper is inconclusive and I've tried various remedies such as Vit E , different dog shampoos etc but nothing works

My own theory is that the Schnaizer through its long breeding is highly strung or stressed after all that's what they were originally bred for - to warn cattle drovers of danger ahead. Schnauzer's don't seem have very good peripheral vision, unlike a Labrador who job is to catch game.

You will know that they bark whenever someone comes within 100 m of the house or the door bell rings or when soone approaches in a straight line. Additionally we live in a fairly lively household ŵith a 12 and 17 year old lots of noise etc

However my daughter who looks after Max when we are on holiday has a very quiet lifestyle and the first time Max came home after a 2 week visit the lumps had all but vanished. They came back within a couple of weeks. As this was a couple of years ago there is now an opportunity in Julynwhen we go away for 2 weeks to see if this really does account for the lumps. I shall report back in mid August
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by Dawnspell »

Loads of info about schnauzer bumps/commodes here
http://www.myschnauzer.net/forums/index ... 7#msg31227" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Robin black mini
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by Robin black mini »

jillybott wrote:Hi, and thank you for your interest. That's the trouble, the vet hasn't said what the sores are or whats causing them. She said that they would have to do a biopsy to be sure and at his age they wouldn't risk putting him under anaesthetic. We are bathing them three times a day and putting the cream on and he is also on antibiotics. To be honest I am thinking of changing my vet.
My st poodle ,who passed last year,had a serious bacterial infection(proteus bacteria) which caused 45 skin ulcers...my vet is a skin specialist and did a skin punch biopsy using a local anaesthetic.this same technique is regularly used for skin biopsy to diagnose sebaceous adenitis,it is easily done,one stitch after and no great stress to the dog.
I'm sure your dog would tolerate this ,a simple local anaesthetic and skin punch would enable the tissue to be examined for the actual cause. the skin punch would say if it is bacterial fungal etc and can also tell you if the deeper layers are affected as in cellulitis.
This does not sound like schnauzer bumps to me...they commonly occur along the dorsal area..but an antibacterial shampoo would not hurt in the meantime until you have a diagnosis.
You could also try using diluted cider Apple vinegar to clean the area..this is a natural antiseptic which would have a universal effect on fungi or bacteria.
I'd definitely ask to see a skin specialist if the vet won't to a skin punch biopsy.
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by zeta1454 »

Lipomas, cysts and other skin lumps are very common in all breeds of dog and, in a health survey a couple of years ago by the Kennel Club into the health of pure breed dogs, lipomas / cysts came out as the most common conditions in their dogs as reported by owners for all three of the schnauzer breeds.

They are generally benign and are best left alone if they are not cancerous.

There are a couple of links here to articles re lipomas:

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/lipoma-dog-lumps/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 11&aid=455" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The breed health survey results from 2014 can be found at the following links:

For standard schnauzers:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/7 ... nauzer.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For miniature schnauzers:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/7 ... nauzer.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For giant schnauzers:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/7 ... nauzer.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Skin conditions in humans and dogs are common and can be due to a variety of factors from genetic susceptibility, sensitivity to environmental or food substances, emotional or mental stress and exposure to chemicals which either cause a skin reaction directly or lead to skin issues as the body tries to rid itself of toxins. Often it may be a combination of several factors that may lead to a chronic skin problem and this is probably why there can be difficulties in identifying the cause or trying to stop it recurring. As stated above, do always have any lumps or cysts checked out by a vet but they may be something that some dogs have to live with if they are simply benign.


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Robin black mini
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by Robin black mini »

I've been thinking about this dog a lot...
Here is what I suggest..
No dressings,the area has to be accessible to the air....the harmful bacteria are usually anaerobic so hate fresh air( oxygen).
Shave or scissor the area around the ulcers..to get more air to the site.
Use betadine( dermal) to flood the area..
Do a skin biopsy as suggested.
Then use a topical antibiotic such as cicatrene powder( if biopsy says bacterial)
Or. Use a fungicidal/ bacterial... Gentalyn beta....( if biopsy says fungicidal)
But,seriously,you must do a skin punch biopsy.
The lipomas are rare on the legs...they usually occur on the body...I believe these ulcers are treatable but you must get them diagnosed .
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Robin black mini
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Re: Giant Schnauzer skin ulcers

Post by Robin black mini »

I don't normally post pics like this,but this is what we went through with bacterial ( proteus) ulcers..and yes she did recover!!!
Image
They would come up as bumps on the nose or body,then ulcerate...
Image
You also need to boost your dogs immune system..
My dog was given medrol( a form of prednisone) at really low dose....8 mg every two days for life,( she was 18 kg)and a low dose antibiotic such as Tylan or flagyl ,as this bacteria also affected her intestine.
And I repeat...yes she did recover,so don't give up and keep trying..
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