So this isn't about Axel, it's about my little Odie, a 2 year old Pomeranian. I noticed a couple months ago at most he had this little black blisters on his belly. I thought it was just a sore or bug bite and that it would go away. I checked it daily to watch how it progressed and it was fine and one day it had opened up and I could see it was healing so I forgot about it. Then a couple weeks later he had another one on his stomach. I thought it was strange but same thing, it went away. So fast forward to last night when I bathed him like I usually do every two months. Except this time I was horrified to see about 10 of those blisters scattered around his body. Quite a few were healing and a few were just starting. Now, they do not bother him what so ever. He never tries to itch or lick or anything. Which is why I'm sure I never noticed them before, not to mention he's super fluffy. He has a vet appointment booked for next week but I wanted to ask if any of you had heard or seen of such thing and knew what it was ? He does have alopecia X so I wonder if it could be related. He's being treated for it but I don't really know if it is working
I'm afraid I haven't seen that before. It's interesting that they go away after a while.... I wonder if it's something a bit like a cold sore or herpes virus that causes blister like lesions....? That is just a vague and wild guess.
I'd be sending a photo to the vet, to see if you need to come in earlier than your regular appointment. Certainly in a human that would have me running to the dermatologist for a check-up.
Yes that's a great idea as I'm worried. Maybe I'll even bring him by so they can see what I'm talking about. They are closed today though for Remembrance Day. So it will have to wait one more day.
Very well could be. I agree, strange how it goes away and strange how he doesn't even notice them. Hoping the vet will know what it is right away
looks just like Oban had in his gut issue recovery and Vet said it was a bacterial infection. We used TCM for his gut and adjusted meds to cover skin and let it go away.
That's what I was wondering after my intense google search this morning. A bacterial infection of some sort. Ah this little guy sure knows how to make me worry. He's my lemon child. He's had so many problems. I called the breeder when I found out the last issue, alopecia, and apparently his only other sibling is wonderful and doesn't have any of the issues Odie has or has had.
Oban also had a strange alopecia during his gut issue recovery, at least that's what the Vet called it. All his guard hairs fell out till the only coat he had was undercoat. All of them, his tail, everything. I thought alopecia necessarily meant ALL the hair falls out but apparently not as you see at the bottom on this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_follicular_dysplasia Oban's coat came back in and it looks better than it ever has now. His is a result of illness which the link does not mention. If we had only known sooner Oban's early blood tests showing a low albumin levels might have been clue. This is exctly what one of the symptoms of low blood albumin but ususally the symptoms are noticed first and Then the blood test shows low albumin. Oban showed no symptoms so we didn't clue in. Maybe Odie's blood should be tested.
Thank you for the info. Odie did have his blood and urine checked to try and figure out the alopecia problem. It all came back completely fine so now we give him melatonin everyday, which in some areas I can tell it's improved, mainly on his chest and belly. But his tail and back around his tail and hind legs are completely bare and black. Although he has the blood work done maybe three months ago, before these blisters started. Maybe he should get tested again to see where he is at now. What kind of gut troubles was Oban having? I ask because the last couple months Odie has also developed some weird gut issues. Example.. he was fed a raw diet for two years and then all the sudden he would throw up a gross dark colour vomit and have diarrhea for a few days, then he would go back to normal. Repeat. So we changed food as per vet suggestion, all was good for a couple weeks then it happened again. Then we tried a gastric wet food to help and he does good on that but he's only on it for a can then back to kibble and then once again, he is good for a couple weeks and repeat. Another thing we will be bringing up at the vet for follow up.
We didn't know Oban had gut issues. I would have said his stomach was made of cast iron. Maybe it was/is too, as his issues were in his lower intestinal tract and the acute episode that brought it all to light was month and a half long diarrhoea. Long story short he has Lymphangiectasia which is under control now. In hindsight the Vet's suspect the low albumin levels were a hint but he had no symptoms then, except itiching, and of course allergic itching is now thought by many Vets to be a gut issue, at the base of it.
I'm with Karen - if that was on a human it would be an urgent referral for biopsy. It looks raised and irregular and ulcerated - as well as pigmented - all warning signs for skin cancers (in humans). The odd thing is that they go away though More suggestive of something infected, or even inflammatory. I guess at a push could be auto-immune - that might link in with the alopecia? A photo to the vet may very well help.
I know @Snowshoe - I remember you telling about this originally. I guess with Kateincornwall and her Sam with a cutaneous lymphoma I am extra cautious about skin stuff and itching. I think its always a worry when you can't be given a NAME or a CAUSE for something, and doing so with itchy stuff in particular is a nightmare proposition in most cases. Human and animal.
