Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums banner

Help!

2K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  mhebner 
#1 ·
So my 8 yr old female Dobie has been sick for years. It all started around the time she turned 3 with skin issues. The vet has decided that it's allergic dermatitis, but now we have no idea what's going on with her. About 2 days ago she started acting weird. She isn't moving unless she has to, she is crying, avoiding stairs and jumping, and now the entire right side of her torso from shoulder to hip is covered in these wart looking growths and the left side has maybe a third of the growths as the right. She seems as tho she in pain, but we don't know what it is. The vet is sending pictures to the dermatologist and other vets in the area, I figured I could try here as well.
 
#8 ·
That poor girl - Dang - Kasia would get some little bumps in the same area , and it would drive her nuts - she would lick it and that made it worse , Vet had use use Quadritop Ointment it is an antibiotic ointment that is an anti-iflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-bacterial. Helps minimize inflammation and itching caused by bacterial infection . It did the trick for her , cleared right up . Have NO idea if it would help your dog , but might be worth asking your vet till they figure out what is going on .

Good luck !
 
#9 ·
First poor baby, have you gone to a Vet Dermatologist regular vets are good for regular things however a Vet Dermatologist sees skin problems on a daily basis. I learned a long time ago just go straight to the Vet Dermatologist you get quick answers and you do not spend you time and money chasing around issues with a regular vet. I hope you get answers and help
 
#10 ·
She has tried apoquel with very little results, been on a regular dose of prednisone for almost 5 yrs, benadryl, lots of medicated shampoos, constant ear infection medications... it has been a ride.
She always gets topical yeast infections. Her hair hasn't been full since she was 3. The only way to get hair growth is to keep her in clothes so that she isn't scratching it all out. She digs till she bleeds, then digs some more. She has broken the cartridge in one ear (she's all natural) and ended up w a massive hematoma that needed to be removed. She always smells, and I mean horribly. She sheds the crusty skin all over too.
I don't know what this issue is, but she's obviously in pain. She isn't doing stairs and she's favoring her rear right leg.
Hopefully I get an answer soon.
 
#13 ·
I am concerned about the time your girl has been on prednisone. My experience along with friends that also have Dobermans and there dogs were on prednisone is that there has been severe muscle loss while on prednisone. In my experience once we stopped the prednisone muscle mass came back. Again I highly recommend a Vet Dermatologist. I wish your girl the best and hopefully you will get the answers you need.
 
#11 ·
Those pics look awful ! I am sorry your girl and you have gone through such a long ordeal.
It could be something very complicated (unique) or something very simple that has gotten out of hand. I think as much information about the history of this issue that you could bring would help.

It is hard to tell from the pics but what type of coat (color) does your pup have?
What is being done currently , medicines and topical to try and comfort her?
 
#12 ·
Molly,

I sent this information to Melbrod and she'll probably send it on to you but you might want to look at a longish thread from t ranie It started on 4/21/20 and there is a pathologist report #33 that you should read--actually you might want to read the whole thread. The title of the thread is Blue Dobe skin problems.

While this was a blue Doberman--skin problems on both dilute colors (fawn and blue) are certainly common enough. Don't know if this is related to the condition that showed up on your bitch but since your vet is trying to get additional information this might help.

I saw that someone suggested you get her seen by a dermatologist--and I'd sure recommend that--general practice vets do well across the board but when it comes to skin/allergy problems vet dermatologist/allergists see much more of this kind of thing and are often the fastest way to get both a diagnosis but treatment, that works as well.

dobebug (who had a wonderful fawn male for 14 years--who was not only healthy as a horse but had a full coat until the day he left me)
 
#14 · (Edited)
Hey, just got on--Thanks Bug, for what you referred me to.

Here's the thread she was talking about, Mollie--
https://www.dobermantalk.com/doberman-health/308135-blue-doberman-skin-issue.html
The pathology report is post #31 and 33, but you might find the whole thread worth looking at for ideas and insights.

Skin issues in dogs are so complicated--like folks said, you should probably head to a vet dermatologist. Your vet may be able to refer you to one, or you might get in touch with your closest vet school for a referral, or to see if someone on their staff can do a consult with you. For something obscure and out of the ordinary from what a general vet normally sees, it is better, and in the long run usually cheaper, to go directly to a specialist to figure out what is going on. Sometimes too, your ordinary vet can carry on with the treatment under a dermatologist's guidance, once a diagnosis is made and a plan set up, if you don't have a specialist close enough to go to on a regular basis.

I AM NOT A VET! But I do wonder about the possibility of an autoimmune problem going on (in people, things like rheumatic or psoriatic arthritis, lupus, autoimmune thyroid disease.) A lot of them have skin problems associated with them, and pain, joint discomfort and so on are very common symptoms too.

Maybe something here might give you some ideas???
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/autoimmune-skin-disease-in-dogs

https://www.k9ofmine.com/autoimmune-disease-in-dogs/
 
#15 ·
We have a beautiful fawn boy (16 months) and I am so freaked out and saddened by this post. I sincerely hope that the Mollie will find a miracle and be able to enjoy her later years. I have promised Loki that we will do everything in our capability to keep him happy and well, but I see here ( knew it already, not not seen in photos) that it could become an uphill battle for fawns....:( Good luck and prayers<><>
 
#16 ·
The closest dermatologist is about 100 miles from us. The vet we see has seen Mollie since she was 6 weeks old (when I got her). Mollie is rust all natural; due to her mother dying during childbirth from an unplanned litter and unknown knowledge von willebrand.
She was perfect, with a perfect coat till shortly before her 3rd birthday. Since then it has literally been one thing after the other.
It started with frequent ear infections. She would shake her head constantly, which resulted in the broken cartridge in the ears, hematoma, and my house looking like a massacre happens on a regular basis (she even shoots blood onto the ceiling fans from flapping). Shortly after she started digging and scratching nonstop. She gets to the point that there is only hair on her shoulder blades (because it's the only spot she can't reach). She has constant yeast infections all over her. Her arm pits are thick elephant like skin, and she smells horribly ALL THE TIME. I take her to the groomer and she comes back smelling like she did when she left. She needs regular, frequent baths with antifungal shampoo and selsun blue shampoo when she covered in scaly scabs. She has to wear some sort of clothing at all times, without clothes she just shivers and then digs till she's all bloody. After that heals she seeps infection and it gets everywhere. She constantly rubs her face and eyes on everything she can. Her face is now wrinkled, crusty, and bald.
She takes benadryl daily, gets cbd oil on her food when times are bad, and goes on prednisone when flared up. She isn't allowed in the grass or to be outside for long (she hates being outside) because her skin is worse from spring to fall. During the winter her hair grows back (for the most part), just to rub it all out in a matter of days. She doesn't go anywhere because people look at her like she's got mange, and I'm tired of explaining her issues.
She's had biopsies to check for allergies and that is when we were told it is allergic dermatitis with constant topical yeast. She was diagnosed with a mammary tumor about a year ago, but her vet said she's got a whole lot more issues than the cancer so surgery was tabled.
These growths just showed up. She had gotten a bath on Tues and she didn't have anything out of the ordinary. She has been having a few fatty tumors pop on on her side and chest, and some skin tags.
On Wednesday, I had left the house and my teen son called and said there was something wrong w Mollie cause she wasn't getting up to go outside. I asked if she was still breathing (cause in all honesty I'm expecting for that day to come), he said yes, so I told him she just didn't like him and to leave her alone. Wednesday night and Thursday she was just a bump on a log. She wasn't getting up unless she absolutely had to. Thursday night she started whining and crying randomly. She is ALWAYS touching me, so I would pat her back or her head and she would stop. Friday morning she couldn't get out of the bed. She stood at the foot of the bed and just did circles. I picked her up and she yelped. When I put her down she was favoring her rear right leg. I figured she had just slept on it wrong cause she's getting old. I went to let her and the labradoodle outside and she just stood at the top of the stairs and cried. I called her to come down a few times and she just cried. I told her that she either needed to come down or I was gonna carry her (yes we talk, and yes she understands me), she choose to hop down the stairs almost sideways to favor that rear leg. Friday afternoon I went back upstairs to change and she followed. She jumped up onto the bed and I just happened to catch a view of her side when her sweater moved during the jump, that is when I saw all of these wart looking things all over her. I gave her a bath, and she seemed to tolerate them being touched. Today (Sunday), I rolled over in bed and wrapped my arm around her and she yelped like I'd tried to kill her. She isn't tolerating any sort of touch or pressure on her right side at all.
Tomorrow, I will reach back out to the vet and see if she has heard from the dermatologist and find out if she wants to see her. I have gotten to were I can't financially afford to keep chasing down her problems. It is honestly one thing after the other. I have an entire stack of vet receipts for her that could easily pay off my car. I'm just so lost on what to do. I promised her that if she started suffering I would let her go, but I don't know if I can. I'm not an animal person at all, but she is my baby. She is the best dog in the world (yes, I'm bias) and I'm not ready to let her go. I'm praying that we have an answer soon.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I'm so sorry you are having to face this--I think one of the hardest and most painful things we go through as dog lovers is coming to terms with and accepting those decisions we have to make--knowing when it is time to let them go, and letting them go when they are ready, not when we are ready.

I hope you get an answer soon that will give you a clearer idea of what you are dealing with and what options there are for her future.

Please keep posting here--I think many of us have dealt with that despair--not knowing what is wrong, not knowing where to go to find out, not knowing what to do to help, or even whether there is anything we actually can do--it is excruciating. I hope that somehow we can give you some comfort so you don't feel so alone as you look to the days and weeks ahead and what they may bring to you.

You folks will be in my thoughts tonight...
 
#20 ·
Sometimes a specialist is the best course of action. Honestly, 100 mile drive isn't that far, to me... and with their expertise, it may cost less, over time, than a vet that isn't a specialist. Their wider knowledge base can mean less testing and a faster diagnosis.

It's just my opinion, but that's what I would do.

I wish you and your girl the best.
 
#24 ·
Mollie,

Color Mutant Alopecia, I had an inkling that you had a Fawn Dobie. My Isabelle was fawn. The first 3 years she had a nice coat, then it went downhill. The mites, that all dogs have, REALLY started to cause infections in her hair follicles. We dealt with it for the next 9 years, it was horrible. Our Vet at the time, recommended a dip, but I can't remember the name of it. We used that, and it worked some. The dip killed the mites that were causing the pustules. Then that dip was banned in Calif. So she got really bad, stunk, had sores all over her back, she was miserable. Her skin would get waxy, and flaky, we would bathe her, but nothing really helped. Then the dip was available again, and that helped some, but she never got that beautiful coat back, and was almost naked. Hope all goes well for you.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top