A few months ago I noticed Frieda (18 months fawn female, spayed) had, in the edge of one ear, some dried blood. It looked as if a tiny piece of the edge had been biten off. I disinfected it with hydrogen peroxide. A few weeks ago she had the same in both ears. And on the top of her head, by her ears, she had blood. The vet put her on antibiotics (Novo Cephalexin, 500mg) and topical Surolan. The medication is finished and she still has the same problem - part of the edges raw, with dried blood and sometimes after we go for a walk, I can see blood on the top of her head. Anyone with similar problems?
Edge of ears bloodied, top of head too
- Thread starter MyFrieda
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No crawling in tight spaces. Not with branches when we walk or play. No fighting with other dogs. The vet did not know, thought it could be a skin condition, did not mention allergies. She was on antibiotics, twice/day, for a week. Before I take her back to the vet, I thought that maybe someone had had a similar situation. To the more experienced boxer owners, any dermatological conditions that present this way? Thanks.
tinajohnson
Boxer Pal
Edge of ears...
Are the insides of her ears red? Is she scratching her ears/head area a lot? Does she seem to shake her head a lot more than normal?
My baby had that problem about a year ago. We had blood splatters all over our walls from when she would shake her head. Our vet gave her trental to help with circulation and said this was a common problem for boxers. The trental did help, but I wasn't satisfied. To make a long story short, our situation has been long and frustrating, but we eventually took her to a vet dermatologist - she's highly allergic to dust mites. Now, all I have to give her is a weekly allergy shot (total cost of $39.00 per year). No more trying to guess what it was, no more special food, multiple meds or one more misdiagnosis. AND, I've got my baby back, happy and healthy!
My best advice - if you think it could be allergies, look for a vet dermatologist in your area - IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN! When it comes to problems such as allergies, you would be shocked at how much your regular vet does NOT know. They jump the gun and want to give prednisone if they can't figure it out. I was worried about the money at first, but after hearing that the prednisone was taking years off my dog's life, I was furious, we had done everything in our power to help her - ripping out all of our carpet, installing hardwood, getting rid of all house plants, expensive special food, meds over $100 per month, vet appointments once a week, believe me - An allergy test @ $350 is nothing especially when it gave us the answers we needed and peace of mind.
Are the insides of her ears red? Is she scratching her ears/head area a lot? Does she seem to shake her head a lot more than normal?
My baby had that problem about a year ago. We had blood splatters all over our walls from when she would shake her head. Our vet gave her trental to help with circulation and said this was a common problem for boxers. The trental did help, but I wasn't satisfied. To make a long story short, our situation has been long and frustrating, but we eventually took her to a vet dermatologist - she's highly allergic to dust mites. Now, all I have to give her is a weekly allergy shot (total cost of $39.00 per year). No more trying to guess what it was, no more special food, multiple meds or one more misdiagnosis. AND, I've got my baby back, happy and healthy!
My best advice - if you think it could be allergies, look for a vet dermatologist in your area - IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN! When it comes to problems such as allergies, you would be shocked at how much your regular vet does NOT know. They jump the gun and want to give prednisone if they can't figure it out. I was worried about the money at first, but after hearing that the prednisone was taking years off my dog's life, I was furious, we had done everything in our power to help her - ripping out all of our carpet, installing hardwood, getting rid of all house plants, expensive special food, meds over $100 per month, vet appointments once a week, believe me - An allergy test @ $350 is nothing especially when it gave us the answers we needed and peace of mind.
SpartanBoxer
Boxer Booster
YES mine had this
Tina - everything you said is EXACTLY what my female boxer had. I have blood splatter STILL on my wall in some places. I spent hours cleaning the blood off the walls - little specks. My dog never seemed to be in any pain, and she lived with 2 other dogs and did a lot of roughousing so I figured the other dogs were responsible although it never looked like it was bite marks or anything. The vets didn't give it much thought - just assumed it was from other dogs.
Then it pretty much stopped, but there became another problem. Last summer she started getting little bumps all over the top of her head and neck, with a few in the crotch area. Then it got really bad so we went back to the vet. They gave her prednisone and a couple of steroid shots and it cleared up immediately. Then, as soon as she was off the prednisone, they instantly started coming back. She went back, and to relieve the immediate discomfort and clear up the bumps she went back on prednisone.
At this point, it's been a couple months and they have not come back nearly to the extent they were before. However I notice a small bump here or there sometimes. Vet gave her some antihystamine this time and got more of the topical solution. The solution really seems to work but i always run out.
The vet before said it could be 2 things - allergies or possibly hypo-thyroidism (underactive thyroid).
Now I am thinking exactly what Tina said - this is probably allergies, and YES - even the vets will admit they don't know a whole lot about the skin problems and they actually referred me to a dermatologist. Of course I have been just drilled with unexpected bills this year and figured if her skin stays clear and she isn't in any discomfort, I'll just hold off on spending 500 on a dermatologist....
looks like i'll have to go sometime soon.
Tina - everything you said is EXACTLY what my female boxer had. I have blood splatter STILL on my wall in some places. I spent hours cleaning the blood off the walls - little specks. My dog never seemed to be in any pain, and she lived with 2 other dogs and did a lot of roughousing so I figured the other dogs were responsible although it never looked like it was bite marks or anything. The vets didn't give it much thought - just assumed it was from other dogs.
Then it pretty much stopped, but there became another problem. Last summer she started getting little bumps all over the top of her head and neck, with a few in the crotch area. Then it got really bad so we went back to the vet. They gave her prednisone and a couple of steroid shots and it cleared up immediately. Then, as soon as she was off the prednisone, they instantly started coming back. She went back, and to relieve the immediate discomfort and clear up the bumps she went back on prednisone.
At this point, it's been a couple months and they have not come back nearly to the extent they were before. However I notice a small bump here or there sometimes. Vet gave her some antihystamine this time and got more of the topical solution. The solution really seems to work but i always run out.
The vet before said it could be 2 things - allergies or possibly hypo-thyroidism (underactive thyroid).
Now I am thinking exactly what Tina said - this is probably allergies, and YES - even the vets will admit they don't know a whole lot about the skin problems and they actually referred me to a dermatologist. Of course I have been just drilled with unexpected bills this year and figured if her skin stays clear and she isn't in any discomfort, I'll just hold off on spending 500 on a dermatologist....
looks like i'll have to go sometime soon.
SpartanBoxer
Boxer Booster
Freida - the more I read your post and Tina's.....
The more I am CERTAIN that your dogs both had EXACTLY what mine had going on. It's almost like the edges of the ears had been bitten or knawed on by another dog. They get bloody and they scab up, then the scab breaks and when your dog shakes her head the blood splatters everywhere.
Well, thankfully Tina seems to have answered our questions - we both simply need to go see a vet dermatologist. If you go to a regular vet they will (should) tell you the same thing or they will offer you to have yours go on a 'special diet'. That's what the vet offered me as an alternative to the expense of the dermatologist. They get a certain kind of food and that is ALL they can eat, ever. I said no way - my baby LOVES her treats and I refuse to deprive her of that.
The more I am CERTAIN that your dogs both had EXACTLY what mine had going on. It's almost like the edges of the ears had been bitten or knawed on by another dog. They get bloody and they scab up, then the scab breaks and when your dog shakes her head the blood splatters everywhere.
Well, thankfully Tina seems to have answered our questions - we both simply need to go see a vet dermatologist. If you go to a regular vet they will (should) tell you the same thing or they will offer you to have yours go on a 'special diet'. That's what the vet offered me as an alternative to the expense of the dermatologist. They get a certain kind of food and that is ALL they can eat, ever. I said no way - my baby LOVES her treats and I refuse to deprive her of that.
tinajohnson
Boxer Pal
bumps...
Do the bumps look like pimples or have a white/yellowish appearance? That is exactly the same thing we dealt with. I found it hard to believe, but our vet didn't know and didn't bother to test for staph (he just figured it was related to the allergies and her scratching)! She was also diagnosed with thyroid problems and given the soloxine. *IF THYROID TESTING IS DONE AFTER PREDNISONE IS GIVEN - it will give the wrong results* Their whole system is altered because of the prednisone. Prednisone is BAD, BAD, BAD!!! The vet dermatologist took one look at my dog and knew - he did a test and within 5 minutes it was confirmed as staph, which is easily treated with antibiotics for 12 weeks - if it is the type of staph my baby has, it will never go away - her treatment has been combined into her weekly allergy shots which she will have to take for the rest of her life, but at least I know this treatment is less expensive, and not taking years off her life.
Do the bumps look like pimples or have a white/yellowish appearance? That is exactly the same thing we dealt with. I found it hard to believe, but our vet didn't know and didn't bother to test for staph (he just figured it was related to the allergies and her scratching)! She was also diagnosed with thyroid problems and given the soloxine. *IF THYROID TESTING IS DONE AFTER PREDNISONE IS GIVEN - it will give the wrong results* Their whole system is altered because of the prednisone. Prednisone is BAD, BAD, BAD!!! The vet dermatologist took one look at my dog and knew - he did a test and within 5 minutes it was confirmed as staph, which is easily treated with antibiotics for 12 weeks - if it is the type of staph my baby has, it will never go away - her treatment has been combined into her weekly allergy shots which she will have to take for the rest of her life, but at least I know this treatment is less expensive, and not taking years off her life.
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SpartanBoxer
Boxer Booster
I believe the bumps were for the most part red-like pimples. Mostly accumulated on top of the head and neck. She also has a tendency to scratch below the ears kind of excessively. I've already got the number to local DVM and will probably be calling to make an appointment soon. When it rains it pours.
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