# LUMPS UNDER THE FUR!?



## Rob_078 (Aug 13, 2012)

My 2 year old V has come out in little spots that have raised her fur,on top of her head and along her body?

Anyone had this before with their V?


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Could you take some photos for us.

Could be hives if they are red but if they are raised and flat it is more likely food allergy - difficult to say without seeing the lumps.


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## Ksana (Mar 30, 2013)

My boy seem to get those as the result of mosquito bites.


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## CincyVizsla (Jan 9, 2014)

Mine gets similar bumps after being the brush & woods.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Right now Lucy has small bumps covering the front of all 4 legs, and some on the top of her head. If I ran through brush the way she does, I would be covered in them too. 
If your V has been off leash running the fields, or woods, I wouldn't be concerned.


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## kirky2 (Jul 6, 2014)

Since being able to take Juice out now he's had his jabs we have noticed he has a couple song his back and on his head. We are keeping an eye on them but we've put it down to him rummaging through bushes etc and maybe getting hit with a few twigs.


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## hanktheV (Aug 4, 2014)

Same problem here for last 2 weeks or so. 12 week puppy. 100% RAW diet since week 8.

Bumps are protrusions, and if squeezed a minute amount of clear liquid comes out.

It seems to have happened immediately once I added beef mince with liver, ground turkey and chicken hearts/kidney, and goat yogurt, to the mince chicken and sweet potato recipe, and chicken wings, Hank was on for the first week.

Im not saying its diet related, and I don't want it to be. It really shouldn't with RAW. But Im mindful that any allergy is possible.

There is a lot on the web with this. It seems of the very few ailments with Vs, skin issues seem to be #1. Ive heard a number of factors that could be doing this: perfume, fabric softener, grass, ants, mosquitos.

Last 7 days Ive been back to strictly chicken, no offal. Bumps seemed to have subsided, but they were back again.

My assumption: new immune system, getting used to a bunch of stuff, let it run its course. A long time V owner in Wisconsin put it intelligently..."what happened to you at adolescence when you moved quickly to a richer diet (beef, new offal)...?"

Off to vet today for 1st and limited round of immunizations. We'll see what she says.

See attached photo.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Welcome to the forum HanktheV! I think I recognize you from facebook.

It could very well be that once his immune system improves, the bumps will go away. If not, even on raw dogs can have sensitivities, if not full on allergies. I'm currently on week 2 of eliminating chicken to see if it's the culprit behind Scout's gunky ear. Per my vet, chicken and beef are the two most likely food allergens. I hope it's not chicken as it keeps this diet affordable!


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## hanktheV (Aug 4, 2014)

Thanks for the reply.

My back-to-chicken plan didn't work as effectively as I wanted it too. I am moving into a lamb diet starting tonight and we will see what that does. Also eliminating the pro-biotic goat yogurt I had be including, started around the time the bumps first appeared. Ill keep tabs and updates here.


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## hanktheV (Aug 4, 2014)

Hi! Little update...

The all-chicken diet for the last 3 weeks seems to have worked. No major bumps or broken/oozing protrusions. 

However, just came in from a run along the water and high grass. He was deep into the grass, and got a little wet.

Bumps/hives exploded all down his back to his tail and the back of his neck. These were not so much like before, previous photo. 

Good thing is...It is definitely not from diet. Its either 1 of 2 variables, or both combined. The tall grass, or the water. 

I dont think its the water, as Hank is in the ocean and bay all the time with no major issue. Although this water is not as clean as those. I believe it is the grass and reaction there.

I just gave 12.5 mgs of Benadryl, we'll see what happens...

Any thoughts?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Don't forget to rinse him off.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Hmmmm... I'd have to guess a grass allergy, but how does his belly look? That's the most exposed skin and the most likely to be in direct contact with any allergen. If his underside is clear, it could be a reaction to inhaling allergens from the grassy stuff---dogs tend to get skin reactions instead of the sneezing and stuffy nose that we humans get. (Or at least that's what I've read). 

Most recently, Lua had a terrible reaction to SOMEthing she ran through---I swear, I think it was poison ivy, because the rash was only on her underside and I think I had a few spots of poison ivy myself (not totally sure---I haven't been allergic to poison ivy in the past, but with repeated exposures I could be now I guess). Here are pictures of her rash taken around 10pm the same day we had gone out around noon. She also developed a secondary skin infection because of that rash reaction, which we're still battling. 

Our vet suggested 5mg claritin, 25mg benadryl, and half of a pepcid if she ever has such a severe reaction again. In the meantime, we have treated with antibiotics for the infection and use Preva wipes after being outdoors in long grass or unfamiliar shrub to remove any allergens. She's on an omega supplement (the fatty acids help block the histamine from binding). We also bathe about once a week with chlorhexidine until the infection resolves. 

Some of the pictures are of the bumps under the fur that were a symptom of the skin infection---they were just flesh-colored and didn't have a head like a pimple, but would get crusty and the hair around it would fall out. The bad-looking, red ones are from whatever she came in contact with that caused an allergic reaction.


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

Hi emily,

Lua's allergic reaction looks pretty severe. I would look into putting her on a 2x daily Quercetin supplement along with the Omega oils. It also acts as a histamine blocker. You can look online or through your vet for dosage information.

It is a great supplement for allergies.

Good luck


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Yeah, it was a bit scary---especially when the benadryl didn't take the rash down as much as I would have liked and we were facing a 10-hour drive. Our vet said she might be a candidate for allergy testing/shots, and that in the future, we may need to think about carrying an epipen. I'll definitely look into the supplement you recommended---got any other tips?


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

Don't waste your money on allergy testing. It is highly inaccurate. Just note in a journal what seems to set her off... We can't keep the dogs in a bubble that is why I think quercetin is great.

It is something you can use everyday in fall/spring and it should stop the bad reactions from occuring. The key is using it preventatively as opposed to after a reaction.

It is safe to use with allergy medications. Not sure about its safety with certain kinds of antibiotics though!

Sometimes it is also just being a puppy and they have to develop through the allergies. Sometimes treating with drugs has a negative effect as the body doesn't get the opportunity to deal with the reaction on its own and the next one might be worse because of that. That is the major risk of steroid use.

I also saw in another thread that you are spaying Lua soon. I would hold off on this til at the very least she has recovered fully from this episode. It could set her immune system into overdrive if she has a major procedure while in a recovery state. Maybe wait til winter and allergy season is over.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I have found using povidone iodine helps keep rashes from turning into skin infections.
I just put warm water in a bowl, add enough iodine until its the color of tea. Soak a washcloth in the solution, and wipe down the dog. You don't need to scrub, just wipe him down. Rinse out the washcloth, dip back in the solution and wipe down a second time. You don't need to rinse her off, just dry her with a towel,and you are through.
Do it 1-2 times a day.


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## Rob_078 (Aug 13, 2012)

Juno spots are back worse than ever,any ideas?


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## Teak_bos (Jan 11, 2014)

Our pup gets those too, pretty regularly actually. Our vet said it is most likely just a seasonal allergy-the ragweed is really bad right now where we live- and as she gets older hopefully she will grow out of it. For one of her more recent flareups when she looked a little like a mutant I took her to the vet and they prescribed an antibiotic for a secondary skin infection caused by the hives and a strong antihistamine with a low dose steriod-cleared them right up in a day. I really didn't want to go down the meds path but it had gotten to the point where she was in a constant cycle of a round of hives clearing up and another one starting. We had tried wiping her down after she ran in the field, diet changes, and benadryl but nothing worked. She's been done with this round of meds for a week and I ordered platinum performance skin and allergy capsules to try out. Too soon to tell if they are working though. At this point we've kind of just accepted that we have a pup with sensitive skin and when she runs in the field (her favorite thing to do) she's probably going to get some bumps.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Do me a favor: on one of the lumps, pull at her hair. Does a clump come out? is it more than comes out from a clear area? The hair loss around the lumps is classic secondary skin infection. Some of the larger lumps Lua's had have been just like cystic acne---poor little adolescent doggie! After a round of cephalexin, the skin infection had cleared, but lately has been lurking again. We've been keeping it in check with the iodine wipes that texasred suggested, but with lua's spay surgery, she's back on the antibiotics, since stress from surgery likely will make it unmanageable with home care.


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## Mount sweetness (Oct 3, 2014)

My Vizsla has these as well, he is 7 now and has had these allergic reactions since the age of 2.5

These are environment inhalant allergies, they are caused by grasses and weeds....ragweed etc. Very unlikely to be food allergy, but always good to feed quality food.

The short term immediate relief is an injection of prednisalone, this will completely clear up the issue for 4 to 7 weeks.

The long term solution is absolutely allergy testing. The lab will determine what exactly he is allergic to and what he is allergic to most. The lab will then formulate a custom injections for your dog and give you an injection schedule to strengthen your dogs immunity to the allergens.

It is the only solution, and it works very well.

My Vizsla is a hunting dog and after 3 days of hunting his feet become red will sores from his allergens. This really puts a damper on his passion for bird hunting. 

Next time you run your dog hard in the woods for 3 or mores days inspect inside the webbing of his paws and under between his toes and pad. You will often see redness and pink sore skin, when it is really bad you will see cycsts/boils between his toes.

Again, infrequent prednisalone injections clear this up but the allergy injections really have turned my dogs life around, he has about 85% immunity to his allergens for the past 2 years now and many less visits to the vet.

We paid $513 for the allergy testing and $219 for the injections for a full year.

Breeders like to ignore and stay quiet but this is a big issue with the breed.


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## Mount sweetness (Oct 3, 2014)

I also clean his feet with Tuf-Foot and/or soak them in warm epson water salt, this helps.

Anti-bacterial Polysporin cream helps heal the soreness, cream not gel.

You will have to manage these issues for the dogs entire life one way or another.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Mount sweetness and thanks for such an informative first post. 

I found this article for anyone who wants to read more about the allergy injections. http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.co...matitis-making-it-work?id=&pageID=1&sk=&date=


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## Pretty Penny (Mar 22, 2014)

My 11 month old V developed this problem also. Off to the Vet we went as I was getting ready to board her & didn't want to board her if she had something contagious. Vet diagnosed it as Folliculitis. He said as long as areas were dry not to worry about it. He said if they became wet , she would need antibiotics. He also said it was not contagious.


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## Lukesmama (Jan 3, 2011)

Luke had many episodes of bumps every year, we believed and treated it as if it was an allergic reaction to pollen/weeds/grass. Another vet decided to test his thyroid and voila! After he was started on thyroid med no more breakouts. Even though per his pedigree there is no history of thyroid disease  anyway, otherwise he is great.


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## fullmanfamily (Oct 17, 2014)

It's interesting that V's have such sensitivities to the outdoors! You'd think with all the time they spend outside romping around, they could build more of a resistance to everything.

Ruby,our 11 month old puppy started showing some bumps on the top of her head and then some spotting on her legs. We think it's due to a slight peanut butter allergy. I looked underneath to see if there was any redness and there wasn't. They also look like mosquito bites. We're watching her, to try and figure out whether it's an environmental allergy like grass, pollen, weed etc. or food. I'm almost certain it's from the peanut butter. Our vet isn't concerned about it yet. She said to treat with benadryl is she seems bothered.


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## Libertysmom (Jul 6, 2015)

This is definitely a breed thing. I see these bumps all over the forums now. Our breeder said none of her dogs have these issues but of course, our girl does. We did see improvement in her "folliculitis" by switching foods. She is on Wellness Deboned chicken and Oatmeal. Its a quality food compared to the puppy chow she was previously on. Her bumps are GONE after 3 weeks. She has had the bumps since 3 months old and is now 5.5 months. On occasion, after taking her to the river, she will get a few hives. We give her 25mg of Benadryl and the hives go away. Seems V's have a lot of environmental allergies. I hope your dog gets better soon. It looks pretty bad. Poor baby.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Dex is also prone to hives, usually after he's been running in the woods. We dilute some Hibiclens/Hibiscrub in water and wipe him down with a rag soaked in it when he gets home. That's pretty much solved the problem for us. We struggled with different allergy meds from the vet for most of the spring, but that's the only thing that's kept his rashes from turning into hives/pustules.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Benadryl helps. Sadie's tend to be worse when it's hot outside (as in afternoon, not morning - not the time of the year). Not sure why, but they are.


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## 1stVizsla (Jun 22, 2016)

I just had a slowly spreading lump under my 18mo V's fur surgically exised (~$350 and general anesthesia). The vet said she hadn't seen anything like it. The ~1.5 inch roughened surface, lump turned out to be a spot of severe folliculitis according to the Pathology report. They are checking it for fungus also. The lump was under her throat right where her collar buckle falls. Despite keeping the collar very loose, even removing it at night it was gradually getting bigger.

Now that the vet has it figured out we certainly won't go for a surgical solution. The vet told us to switch to a leather collar as Nylon collars can irritate the skin and hair follicles and in short hair breeds folliculitis is not uncommon. Sharing in event it helps someone else. Sorry we didn't take pics, it felt like a diffuse but thickened mass under the skin; no hair loss or other inflammation was apparent.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

My sister has a English Setter that can't have any metal from a collar touching her. Even any rivets on a collar that touches her skin causes a problem. 
She has a allergy to it, and can then turn into a skin infection.
I know it took her awhile to find the right collar.
I can see it happening, because a few people in my family can only wear white gold. Anything else causes a rash.
We just don't think about it in dogs.


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