skin concerns

[sofie]

Let me start by saying 'Hello'
my family is new to pugvillage....and we are hoping to share stories about our 5 year old female pug melina as well as get advice and help for her....

Melina has always been pretty healthy....she gets tiny skin colored bumps around her body that look like pimples. i have found about 4 or 5 of them in her lifetime. she has had them on her forehead, around her ear (outside) and most recently on her back/hip area.
they usually take about a week to dry up and become scabby. then as the scabs flake off, i find they take clumps of hair with them (but have never left bald spots)
these bumps dont appear to hurt her, as she lets us touch/examine them without pulling away or wimpering. she has even let me scratch away the scabs for her.
today i found a new one on her that i feel is alittle bigger than past ones. i have always called them pimples and just let them heal on their own. but i made the mistake of 'googling' this morning....and now im in a panic.....could this be mast cell tumors?

would love to hear some feed back/advice......

thanks in advance,

sofie

[DixiesMom]

Ms. D would get those little pimples on her face whenever I let her eat from plastic or stryofoam instead of stainless steel OR if she had an infection. But they were always small like you described, not large. She did once have a large 'cyst' like bump, then it went away on it's own although I did have the vet look at it and his advice was 'watch and let me know if it get's larger'. Hard call, I'm sure you'll make the best decision.

[Tinker's mom]

Always a safe bet to let the vet see them.

[shaynapug]

It's really hard to tell anything on line......We're not drs...and looking up stuff often scares the heck out of us!

If you're concerned, make a vet appointment and have it looked at. Better safe than sorry.....and if it is anything, better to catch it sooner than later!

Seeing good outcomes!

[cookie_monster]

Always cant be too careful so maybe see your vet? x :)

[Smugpug1]

I agree, best to see the vet ASAP to make sure everything is ok. You know the old saying about trying to catch things early!

[milab]

Have you figured out what these are? I just found little bumps on my pug and they do look like tiny little scabs of dry skin or something going to make an apt with the vet to have them checked out but any info u mind have found out would be helpful to know
Thanks

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Sofie, These sound like histiocytomas...however i would have it checked by your vet to rule out something more sinister.

Milab, did your spots start as lumps/bumps? If not you could be dealing with a fungal infection like ringworm or a mite like demodex, your vet should be able to tell you.

Take care,
Lisa

[milab]

They are like tiny bumps and look like dry skin on the edge of his ear they don't hurt him or anything bc he let's me touch and scratch them that's the only place that I can tell he has them. I'm scared that it is mange although I read that mange are bloody scabs. And these are skin colored ones u can't even tell he has them only if u pet the ear u can feel the little bumps

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Histicytomas are small, benign tumors, although they can occasionally grow quite large. They are made up of cells from the immune system (like the malignant Mast cell tumors). They can be skin colored, red or blackish, often they ulcerate and become crusty, usually just before or as they go away. Usually they go away on their own anywhere from a week to a few months after they arise. they leave a scaly scab and the skin feels thickened, but eventually the scab flakes off and the skin returns to normal.

They are not problems themselves, but you should have them checked out, especially if they get larger. They can also be a sign of underlying immune problems and commonly first occur within a month after a vaccination.

Take care,
Lisa