Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped. *Diagnosis: Lupus.

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ScarletSci
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Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped. *Diagnosis: Lupus.

Post by ScarletSci »

Hey, asking for a friends dog, Dini. She's been to the vet six times in the last three weeks, and the cause is still unknown. It did seem to be responding to a combination of antibiotics and antifungal spray, but a new spot appeared last night. :(

"She's grain free. Only eats meat dog treats. No bones or rawhide a. So it's started as a small bald spot I found. That she was licking. As it grew, they gave us Dermalone cream. Anti fungal antibiotic. Then a second spot came up. They gave us antibiotics and a steroid. She's still on the steroid. Then we got the spray, Miconohex. (antifungal with antiseptic) She's still getting that. The other two spots started looking better, but I was letting her out of that collar for testing times. It's been over 3 weeks.
They did a skin scraping and it was negative for a fungus. They checked for ringworm with the black light. Then they biopsied it and that came back negative."

Dini lives in Missouri, US, with two other dogs who don't have any skin issues, if environmental/contagious factors are a concern.


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Yesterday's fresh spot next to older patch.
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Dini is much loved, so very unpleasant to see these obviously sore patches and not know what it is or how to help her. She will return to the vets as often as needed, but wondered if anyone here had any ideas as to what this could be, since the vet seems to be stumped and we're going on a month now of fresh patches. Dini is a Shepherd/Lab cross, so not a small dog, these are fairly large, comparatively. Thank you in advance for any help!
Last edited by ScarletSci on Sat Apr 23, 2016 7:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Fundog
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by Fundog »

Just to rule it out, they might want to test for lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that can affect any number of organs/systems in the body, including the skin.
If an opportunity comes to you in life, say yes first, even if you don't know how to do it.
ScarletSci
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Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by ScarletSci »

I'd never thought of that, I will pass that on, thank you! Any other ideas? I'm really stumped too. I figured maybe fungal, since it did seem to be calming down with treatment, but then the new patch, and the skin scraping coming back negative threw me.

I can't help thinking of House though - it's never Lupus! :lol:
Erica
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by Erica »

Is there a skin specialist vet near you? I'm lucky enough to live relatively close to a highly rated vet school, so there are any number of specialists there teaching various courses and doing work in the school's veterinary department. If the usual vet can't figure it out, it may be worth the time and money to go to a specialist. Best of luck! :( Looks like some not-fun stuff to deal with.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
ScarletSci
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Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by ScarletSci »

Erica wrote:Is there a skin specialist vet near you? I'm lucky enough to live relatively close to a highly rated vet school, so there are any number of specialists there teaching various courses and doing work in the school's veterinary department. If the usual vet can't figure it out, it may be worth the time and money to go to a specialist. Best of luck! :( Looks like some not-fun stuff to deal with.
Thanks Erica! Good idea. I've passed the message on.

It's really not fun to deal with. I've just had an update, and while Dini's normally a picky eater anyway, she's even less enthusiastic, isn't sleeping well, and is hating the collar. My friend is out of her mind wanting to help her, and ready to switch vets if this next visit doesn't yield any results. She's going to ask for a test for lupus as well.


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If anyone has any ideas for how to help this poor love! Interestingly, even with the collar off, Dini can't reach this this latest patch midway up her back, so it doesn't appear to be self inflicted.
rnor1120
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by rnor1120 »

Full bloods including chemistry, CBC, and thyroid. Full thickness punch biopsy (will likely need sedation or general anesthesia). Bacterial culture and sensitivity. Fungal culture. Surgical removal and debridement of all lesions with histopathology.
Where are you in the world? No matter where you are, there are always weird fungal, parasitic, tick-borne, and bacterial conditions that sometimes depend on the region.
A good friend of mine's recently experienced bizarre gastrointestinal and dermatologic symptoms due to migrating grass awns.
Erica
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by Erica »

Rnor, first post says Missouri USA (though it's easy to miss - only caught it on a second or third read-through).

(Delta and his $2000 abscess say grass awns are evil!)
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Fudgeandcoco

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by Fudgeandcoco »

Hi

Don't know if it could be this but it looks like Alabama rot? Could be wrong but just a thought.
JudyN
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by JudyN »

Have a look at the pics in this thread: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/he ... staph.html

Unfortunately it didn't have a happy outcome, but your friend's dog may have something completely different. Fingers crossed.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
ScarletSci
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by ScarletSci »

Fudgeandcoco wrote:Hi

Don't know if it could be this but it looks like Alabama rot? Could be wrong but just a thought.
I hadn't heard of this, so glad you mentioned it. I don't think it's alabama rot, since that seems to be fatal very quickly, within 7 days, and Dini has had these sores for almost a month. But I walk my own mud-loving Springers in woodland here in the UK, so I'm really glad you mentioned it so I can be extra careful about cleaning off mud and keeping an eye for any sores, and how quickly it needs treatment. So thank you!
ScarletSci
Posts: 463
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by ScarletSci »

JudyN wrote:Have a look at the pics in this thread: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/he ... staph.html

Unfortunately it didn't have a happy outcome, but your friend's dog may have something completely different. Fingers crossed.
I cried when I read that thread and got to the rainbow bridge part. I hope against hope Dini doesn't have that. I'm scared to tell my friend about that possibility, she's already so worried and upset. (although she does have the link to this thread.) Hopefully the tests that Rnor recommended, along with seeing a skin specialist, will show up if it's a staph infection?
ScarletSci
Posts: 463
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by ScarletSci »

rnor1120 wrote:Full bloods including chemistry, CBC, and thyroid. Full thickness punch biopsy (will likely need sedation or general anesthesia). Bacterial culture and sensitivity. Fungal culture. Surgical removal and debridement of all lesions with histopathology.
Where are you in the world? No matter where you are, there are always weird fungal, parasitic, tick-borne, and bacterial conditions that sometimes depend on the region.
A good friend of mine's recently experienced bizarre gastrointestinal and dermatologic symptoms due to migrating grass awns.
Thank you so much, rnor, getting a vets opinion on this really helps. I've copied everything you said and sent it to her.

She's in St Louis, MI. She has two other dogs who don't have any signs of this, but I realise that it could still be environmental and this dog is more susceptible.

She is going to need sedation for that, she's a rescue dog and terrified at the vets, so they often insist on muzzling her :( Usually her owner holds her head to be on the safe side, she's never bitten, but she's very scared. Dini is treated for fleas for ticks. Fussy eater Dini is also turning down morsels of fresh chicken :shock: so giving meds is proving tricky. I've suggested trying liver, so she's going to get some today.

Edited to add: Dini's guardian just messaged back, said to thank you all for the help and ideas. She said; "Okay, I had heard about the thickness punch biopsy with sedation as a possible option. We already did the bacterial and fungal cultures. Negative. We did blood. But I'm not sure thyroid was tested.
So pretty much we've done that all minus the further biopsy. Okay.
That seems to be about all that we can do at this point. I guess I just need to be firm with them on Tues.

Thanks so much for the help!"
rnor1120
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Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by rnor1120 »

What happened with Dini? I hope all is well!
ScarletSci
Posts: 463
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by ScarletSci »

rnor1120 wrote:What happened with Dini? I hope all is well!
Hey! Thanks for asking! We still don't have an answer for what this skin thing is. More bloods were taken, and vet has ruled out thyroid, she goes in for the full thickness punch biopsy today. Fingers crossed this produces results.

Friend says she's developed one new patch since I last posted. The older patches have turned black like the photos, and the hair around them isn't regrowing, which she had heard is related to thyroid problems, but the vet says thyroid function is fine. The collar that Dini has to wear, despite being a soft collar, is now making her neck sore, so friend is losing a lot of sleep herself so she can let Dini sleep without the collar, but watch her to make sure she doesn't scratch. :(

I promise I'll update when we know anything more. Friend is now looking into outfits to buy her in case fur never grows back on those patches! :lol: She's never dressed a dog before, and since her three dogs are large breeds and she lives in St Louis, dogs in tutus aren't thick on the ground!


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Fudgeandcoco

Re: Help! Mystery skin condition, even vet is stumped.

Post by Fudgeandcoco »

Hi

I hope he gets better soon. I found this article as even I would like to know what it is.
http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Health/Blac ... ptoms.aspx m.


I did read once that mold can grow on dogs don't know if it's true but thought I should mention it but I doubt it's that.
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