Help Needed! Dozer and I need some help, problem(s) on his head- see pics.

[Old School Dropout]

I'll try my best to explain how this problem developed. I've been gone out of town a couple of days, my wife called and said Dozer had a couple of pea sized bumps and scaly skin on his forehead. I asked if any unusual behavior or other physical signs of a health issue - No. I told her to wipe the area down with DOUXO pads twice a day and keep a careful eye on him until I got home.

This is what it looks like tonight - see pics.

If I didn't know better, I'd say he hit his head on a brick / rock wall while playing at full speed in "Insane mode" and had some kind of infection - maybe yeast or staph? There are hard little bumps around the area that you can't see see in the photos. I should add he is 14 months old so hormones are flowing FWIW and I have been walking him early AM before heat and humidity build up down here so good exercise but maybe too much for him overall? And Ticks are everywhere, pick them off him (still crawling) regularly. I check him over and wipe him down after every walk, even if just around the yard. He is on NexGard and Sentinel but there are all kinds of biting things buzzing and crawling around here this time of year. After cleaning with DOUXO pads and letting dry for a while, we applied Burt's Bees Zinc ointment on the area. It has worked great on clearing up problems in and around his rope / wrinkles the few times we needed some extra help.

 

[Dollys Owner]

I'm not good at diagnosing skin conditions, so I'll leave that with some of our experienced members here. I would personally also put on some Nu-Stock or Neosporin until someone can diagnose problem for you.

I would recommend switching from Nexgard to topical K9 Advantix II or Vectra 3D since that will discourage fleas, ticks and other flying insects from even landing on Dozer, unless you have cats in the house. The Nexgard only works if they bite Dozer so he may have had a tick bite at that spot. I would also switch from Sentinel to milbemycin with praziquantel ( Milbemax or Interceptor Spectrum ) or plain ivermectin ( Heartgard ) if you switch to topical K9 Advantix or Vectra since you don't need the lufenuron for fleas in Sentinel.

 

[Old School Dropout]

Thanks Dolly,

I appreciate the response and info. I've read a lot about the different Flea and Tick meds but ultimately rely on my Vet's advice. I live in a coastal area right on NC / SC state line near an area called the "Green Swamp" which is a National Wilderness Preserve. It gets seriously sticky here about 4 months out of the year, there are more deer around my house / neighborhood than I can count at night often times (thus the Tick problem). My Vet is in his mid 60's, vent to UGA (google UGA) and has bred / owned EBD's his entire adult life. The topicals just don't work here, are not strong enough. That is why he does not recommend them, I hate giving my boy what is essentially a small dose of poison. It's just the lesser of two evils.

Thanks so much for your input and I'll keep you posted on what I find out and how Dozer is doing.

He is snoring soundly now

 

[Lalaloopsie]

Hi, we are not far from you, in Georgia and it is very rainy lately. Yesterday evening I've got a super fright as my Tank's folds on his forehead looked like your Dozer's. Like raw bloody canyonsI checked his tail pocket and it was also red and raw I started with witch hazel and Vetericyn gel, applying them in turns, 30 min apart, every time drying medicine with my hairdryer, to keep it dry. Today his head is much better, tail pocket needs more time.
I think it is high humidity and heat, they enabled bacteria and yeast to thrive. Today I am also going to buy some medicated powder, like Columbia.
I think you should use something astringent to dry it (like witch hazel), wait a bit and apply something antiseptic. And keep it dry, if your dog won't tolerate hairdryer, just wipe excessive medicine with paper towels.

 

[Dollys Owner]

The Nexgard is a great product, but IF your dog got an allergic reaction to a flea bite or tick bite, you probably need to add K9 Advantix II on top of the Nexgard if the K9 Advantix II is not strong enough alone.

Thanks Dolly,

I appreciate the response and info. I've read a lot about the different Flea and Tick meds but ultimately rely on my Vet's advice. I live in a coastal area right on NC / SC state line near an area called the "Green Swamp" which is a National Wilderness Preserve. It gets seriously sticky here about 4 months out of the year, there are more deer around my house / neighborhood than I can count at night often times (thus the Tick problem). My Vet is in his mid 60's, vent to UGA (google UGA) and has bred / owned EBD's his entire adult life. The topicals just don't work here, are not strong enough. That is why he does not recommend them, I hate giving my boy what is essentially a small dose of poison. It's just the lesser of two evils.

Thanks so much for your input and I'll keep you posted on what I find out and how Dozer is doing.

He is snoring soundly now

 

[ddnene]

That looks like a hot spot to me... you will need to shave that area, keep it clean with vetericyn, duoxo pads, or witch hazel. The biggest issue w/hot spots is keeping it clean and dry so that it doesn't spread or get infected. Sometimes I have also used Gold Bond powder to keep that area dry, just be careful not to get the powder into the eye area.

IF for any reason you suspect it's getting infected I would have the vet do a skin scrape... hot spots are extremely common in the summer humid months.

 

[Old School Dropout]

Thanks again for the replies and help. Since he has gotten bigger the folds and wrinkles have increased, also deeper. I thought that might have been part of the problem when taking him on longer walks and getting a bit too warm even though he seemed Ok.

Dozer is a very active and fit boy, he wears me out honestly . I am trying to run his battery down, not vice versa. Getting myself moving more was a reason to get this guy though, gotta love 'em. Area looks better this morning, if it doesn't continue to improve I'll shave it down as Tracey suggested and continue treatment until all cleared up.

 

[2BullyMama]

Thanks again for the replies and help. Since he has gotten bigger the folds and wrinkles have increased, also deeper. I thought that might have been part of the problem when taking him on longer walks and getting a bit too warm even though he seemed Ok.

Dozer is a very active and fit boy, he wears me out honestly . I am trying to run his battery down, not vice versa. Getting myself moving more was a reason to get this guy though, gotta love 'em. Area looks better this morning, if it doesn't continue to improve I'll shave it down as Tracey suggested and continue treatment until all cleared up.

Agree... beginning of a hotspot to me. Shave area and keep it clean and dry


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[cefe13]

Yes, looks like it could be a hotspot. Shave and then wash with a chlorehexidine shampoo daily - we got a shampoo from the vet called TrizChlor when Castor had a hotspot last year.