Dog with sores - could it be from chickens?

[kodiakchicken]

Hi all. We have a 4 year old Golden Retriever/Shepherd cross (looks like a Golden). She's a little fat but otherwise has always been in good heath. About a week ago we found a round sore on her back slightly larger than a quarter. It was a little infected and scabby so we rinsed it with peroxide and put some neosporin on it. It looked like it was healing up so we didn't worry about it. She'd been crawling under the porch so I thought she might have cut herself or gotten a bite of some kind.

Well, now she has two more. One about a half inch from the first and the other about 7 inches farther down her side. The old one is pussing up again and I the others have obviously bled. I have no idea what is going on with her! We don't have ticks here, seldom have fleas (and I would have known if there were fleas b/c the other animals would have it) and I haven't noticed any mites on the ducks and chickens. The only thing out of the ordinary is that she follows the chickens around when they are outside and eats their poop (gross, I know).

We're taking her to the vet today, but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas what it could be?

 

[s6bee]

Golden's have a history of skin allergies and other issues. However sounds more like she's got cycts and many for that matter. It sounds as if they are coming to the surface and opening up. She should see a vet for this. Find out the reason for the sudden onset of so many. You may want to give pictures if you can, but my guess would be cysts. She may need an antibiotic and I doubt the chickens are doing this.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Sounds like hot spots to me...my golden gets them once in awhile in hot humid weather because of his dense coat....Nothing to do with chickens...

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I think that it is hot spots.

 

[FlockEweFarm]

Oh GAWD! It sounds like it might also be RINGWORM!! Can you post pictures?? If its ringworm, it is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS and it can be spread to humans,(all 4 of my kids had it, got it from my critters and it took FOREVER to clear up). If its ringworm, you need to see about some topical meds.

 

[AngelzFyre]

Sounds like they are hot spots and very common on Goldens.

You can clip/shave the hair around each spot and clean the area with a diluted Nolvasan or Betadine solution a couple times daily to kill any bacterial infection. Dry the spots completely and I personally use Gold Bond ointment on them. This has worked better than any other ointment I've tried. Have also used the powder when I didn't have the ointment handy and it works great too. It has a cooling effect to it and seems to calm the itching and irritation.

If that doesn't help noticeably in a couple days or it gets worse, it could have a more severe bacterial infection and need oral antibiotics as well and anti inflammatory med.

Make sure there are no fleas/ticks irritating as well because they'll just make the itching/scratching worse and more sores.

HTH

 

[Solsken Farm]

Sounds like hot spots to me too.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Thanks!

I have never heard of hot spots, but this is my first golden. The spots are definitely itchy and we had known for awhile that she has itchy tendencies, because she's always chewing at her feet.

Can hot spots occur even when you don't have really hot weather? We've had some hot days, but for us that's only about 60 degrees. Of course, she's conditioned to the Kodiak weather and still has quite a winter coat on her.

I just feel bad, the poor baby. I'll look into the gold bond stuff as well.

 

[robinaggie]

In my experience. hot spots are fairly easy to treat, but you need the right meds. Talk to a vet. They will probably recommend medicated baths. I hate those icky sores, and they pop up out of nowhere. My dog got them year round. There's an antibiotic/anti-itch spray you can get from the vet - it's magic.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Just Googled hot spots and found one with a picture. It looks EXACTLY like what she has! I'm still going to take her to the vet since the one seems pretty infected, but now I have a better idea of how to treat them and how to prevent it.

Thank you all so much!!!!