We have a new update on The Future of the Penny Arcade Forums.

Lumps on my dog

squinutsquinut Registered User regular
edited May 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
Before I get down to it I'll have to introduce my dogs.

This is Pebbles, this is Polka and this is the both of them together.

Pebbles is 3 years old, a very healthy if not slightly skinny Maltese, she occasionally becomes REALLY picky about her food and refuses to eat the kibble I give her. I try not to give her canned food as doggy teeth goes bad real fast when they live on soft food so the other alternative I have is cooking meat and carrots for her. I don't do this very often though.

Polka is 3 months old, a mini Schnauzer and like most Schnauzers will eat anything anyone leaves behind, however recently I've started to notice some weirdly smelling lumps of dried skin on her head and neck area. I hang out sometimes at a dog grooming salon, and most doggies there get skin problems due to food allergies. So I'm thinking its a food allergy.

Her staple diet is puppy kibbles, but I usually let her clean up after Pebbles...it would be a waste to let all that meat go cold... I used to give Pebbles Pork and Carrots but after she kept picking the carrots out and spitting it on the floor to let Polka suck it up I gave up on Carrots and went solely pork...but still there's leftovers and Polka eats it all up. So far Polka has ate some beef but lots of Pork so I'm thinking it should be the Pork but it hasn't been long enough for me to tell if the Pork was really the one behind the lumps.

So if anyone could tell me how long the lumps usually last after the allergy has been triggered I'll be really thankful and if anyone cooks for their dogs I'll be happy to hear some good recipes (no pork recipes though).

tl;dr: My dog ate lots of stuff, she has some weird lumps on her head, I thinks its an allergy to Pork, but can't be sure till lumps disappear. Would like some doggy recipes for schnauzers preferably if anyone has any (no pork though).

squinut on

Posts

  • Regina FongRegina Fong Allons-y, Alonso Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    I'd have to recommend you talk to a vet about doggy nutritional requirements, and also have your dog examined by a vet to diagnose the lumps. That said, there are plenty of people who make their own pet food for their animals and I bet a simple web search would turn up some results.

    Regina Fong on
  • squinutsquinut Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Ah thanks, I'm bringing her to the vet on Monday, hopefully it won't be anything too serious. I'm just curious about what you guys feed your dogs, if you do actually cook for them.

    I got lucky with my maltese, apart from her finickiness she doesn't seem to suffer from any weird allergies or stuff no matter what I feed her, I'm just panicking a little with my schnauzer because she's just so young and this is the first time I've actually have to deal with the weird smelling lumps.

    squinut on
  • HeirHeir Ausitn, TXRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    We have a mini schnauzer, and while our's is fine, I have read that the breed is known for sensitive skin.

    Heir on
    camo_sig2.png
  • HK5HK5 Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Definitely discuss it with your veterinarian to make sure the lumps are in fact allergy related. If they are, the first and easiest step is to change her diet to see if it is a food allergy. The main thing to change is the protein source.

    Most vets will reccomend that dogs who refuse to eat their food be fed chicken and rice. Pork is not the healthiest thing for a dog to eat although it's not that bad. Your vet can reccomend an alternative protein source food for your dogs, make sure you either bring in the food they are currently eating or write down the ingredients before you head to the vet's office. Your vet will probably reccomend something like Hill's Science Diet which does make a food for dogs with allergy problems. It is a bit pricier but you won't find a better diet for dogs, personally it's all I will feed my own animals and they've maintain a healthy weight and energy level while on it.

    HK5 on
  • Regina FongRegina Fong Allons-y, Alonso Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    I'm not a huge fan of science diet myself, but some people swear by it. There are cheaper alternatives that are very similar in content.

    Regina Fong on
  • GophermasterGophermaster Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    I wouldn't worry about the lumps, it means your dog is in bloom and will soon sprout flowers. I recommend leaving him in the sun during the day.

    Gophermaster on
  • edited May 2008
    This content has been removed.

  • squinutsquinut Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Well she hasn't lost any hair yet but when I first found out about the lumps and tried to peel one of them off it came off easily with lots of hair.

    squinut on
  • edited May 2008
    This content has been removed.

Sign In or Register to comment.