[Sunni]

My Basset female Angel has reoccurring outbreaks of lumps under her skin. A few of them grew, became inflamed, and burst. We just recently moved to a very rural area and took her to our local vet. He suggested that she is getting scratches on her skin which are causing these lumps, but I don't believe that could be the cause. She doesn't go out in an area that has any plants or such that could cause this reaction. Also the majority of the bumps were around her neck, on her back,and around her rump. The vet suggested that we lance these growths. He lanced one of the biggest lumps that was on her neck. Recently these lumps are flaring up on her chest. I wonder if this condition is specific to Bassets? Does any one have any insight as to what could be happening? My Vets final suggestion is that she may have Cancer and I just don't want to believe that she has cancer. She seems healthy and happy other than that....

 

[Betsy Iole]

They're probably sebaceous cysts, also known as epidermal inclusion cysts. Some bassets have a lot of trouble with them. You can treat them with drainage, hot soaks, antibiotics and good wound care when they burst. Sometimes, the only way to deal with a particularly nasty one is to remove it surgically.

[ September 13, 2005, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: Betsy Iole ]

 

[Sunni]

I'm thought that it could have been sebaceous cysts, but when I asked my Vet, he blew me off..like I didn't know what I could be talking about. Her cysts are getting worse. Is there anything that I can do to help her?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd go to a different vet. Good luck, Belinda.

 

[Terry]

Moe has had two surgeries to remove a total of three golf ball sized cysts. He has many others, ranging from pea sized to marble sized, and another one recently began approaching golfball sized. Two of those removed were located where there was a high danger of bursting (on top of his front foot near his toes and near his neck where his collar fits). One was on the inside of his hind leg and he took to licking it till it became raw and infected (repeated courses of antibiotics would clear it up but continual licking would re-infect it again). Our vet informed us that they are relatively harmless and we should leave them alone unless it becomes medically necessary to remove them. Moe has been lumpy since we adopted him as a half-grown pup. It hasn't affected the quality of his life at all, although the surgeries were traumatic for him(and for us).

My husband believes that when we remove a large cyst, another previously small one will grow in size somewhere else. I don't know if his theory has merit but certainly SEEMS to be true! Immediately after surgery a marble sized cyst increased in size on his back! :-o

I believe you should find a new vet, also.

Terry

 

[Anonymous]

We just went thru this with Ruby last month.

Not all of those are benign and not all are sebaaceous. Ruby's were all benign but they were called something else (can't recall right now). Vet said that some bassets are more prone than others.

We had all of the big ones removed. One took longer to get the results because it "resembled lymphoma."

The ironic thing is that many years ago I had a cyst of sorts removed from me and it took over 3 weeks to get the results. Why? Because it "resembled lymphoma." Guess Ruby is part of the family in more ways than one.