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Several crusty black spots have appeared on my labradors skin recently. They slough off and are pink underneath. They do not itch or seem to be sore. This morning she sneezed and had some blood come from one nostril.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Labrador Retriever Pet's Gender: Female Pet's Age: >12 Name of Dog: Molly
Hi Jacustomer-2j8wm076~
When was the last time Molly had blood work run?Is there any possibility she could have gotten into anything unusual?
How long has she had the crusty spots?
I don't think there is anything she could have gotten in to. She is an inside dog and hasn't gotten in to anything in the house. She hasn't had blood work in the last few years. I first noticed the spots about six weeks ago. They don't seem to bother her, and since they do slough off after a couple of weeks, I was just watching them. But she keeps getting them in new places.
Thanks for answering my questions.
It sounds to me as if your girl may need to have some bloodwork done to rule out things like Thyroid conditions.
Many thyroid issues can present with skin issues, so some bloodwork done and then if it comes back and says that she does have an issue with her thyroid, they'll get her on some medication to get things regulated.
In the meantime, you can keep the skin areas cleaned and dry and then apply a topical antibiotic such as Neosporin to help keep them from getting infected.
I hope this helps.
What about the sneezing of some blood this morning? Could this be related to the spots or would it be something seperate? I want to give her the best care, but due to her age, I don't want to put her through extensive test. If she could be helped without lengthy procedures, I want to help her. If it is something more serious and won't help much, I just want her to be comfortable. Just getting her in the car to take her to the vet will be really hard on her at this stage as she can't get up on the bed or couch any more. I want to do what is easiest for her. I'm not trying to get out of giving care for her, she just gets stressed so easily at this age now and I worry about that.
Luckily, the thyroid test is a simple blood draw...no big lengthy procedure (as the owner of a geriatric dog myself, I can understand).
It's likely that she could have one of these scabbed areas inside her nose, which would account for the blood when she sneezed.
I can also understand her being stressed about having to get into the car. You could see if there is a mobile vet in your area, that way they'd be able to come to her, instead of her having to get in the car and go to a vet.
Experience: AAS Vet Tech. Bully breed rehab & Behavior modification
Hi,I'm just following up on our conversation about Molly. How is everything going?CVT_in_MN
She had some more bleeding last night. It was during the night, so I am assuming it was from her nose again. I don't know if I said yesterday, the black spots don't itch or seem to be sore. They vary in size. When the black peels off in a couple of weeks, the skin is pink underneath and no hair. She has two new black spots today on her face. They start out very black, flat and change over time to dull black/dark grey. Again, none of this seems to be bothering her. Thanks for asking again. I just can't help worrying.
She had some more bleeding last night. It was during the night, so I am assuming it was from her nose again. I don't know if I said yesterday, the black spots don't itch or seem to be sore. They vary in size. When the black peels off in a couple of weeks, the skin is pink underneath and no hair. They are never bloody or infected looking. She has two new black spots today on her face. They start out very black, flat and change over time to dull black/dark grey. Again, none of this seems to be bothering her. Thanks for asking again. I just can't help worrying.
I sent a reply to your question of how is Molly doing? Am I suppose to hear back?
Hi again~
I'm sorry to hear that her spots aren't getting any better. I did ask around at the clinic where I work, and everyone seems to feel like this is a classic thyroid issue, so having that checked would be the top of the list of 'could bes'.
Hopefully that will give you the answer you're needing to help Molly feel more comfortable.