Sebaceous Cysts - Page 1

Hello All,
I was wondering if anyone on the board has had any experience with a sebaceous cysts. I found a lump on my dog about 1.5 inch in diameter last month and imediatley took him to the vet for a checkup to see what it was. The vet aspirated the lump with a fine needle and removed what looked like fatty tissue or puss and put him on antibiotics for 10 days to see if it would go away or get smaller. After a couple weeks the lump was not going away so I decided to have it removed to make sure it wasnt something else like a tumor or worst yet cancer. Anyway, He had surgery on Thusday to remove the lump and the vet said it was a sebaceous cysts, it was completely removed and hes going to be fine in a couple weeks once he recovers from the surgery. My question is, is this common? I never heard of a sebaceous cyst until this happend.

Regards,

My dog has one on his left side right now.  It's pretty small.  About once a week I pop it and empty it.  He doesn't even notice.  Since it's so small I haven't gone to the vet, I'll just bring it up next time we are there.

Yes, just went thru this.  Falon gets them on her shoulder and back and are easy to pop/empty.  Libby had one on her hip thta was there for about 3 months and then burst and needed surgery.  She had one on her tail for years and that is the one that burst and required surgery.  After surgery she bit through her tail to bone, which now requires amputation.   Falon's are easy to control, but Libby's tend to grow really big and become a problem.  For now on, I will have Libby's treated immediately so they do not become bigger problems.

Hope you dog is well, but with my two (Mother/daughter) the seem to come back in different spots.

C

I have a  small one on the back of one of my Whippets. I will have to have it taken off as Whippets are short coated. These Cysts usually run in families.  I have had mother daughter have them all the time, the best way to be rid is to use a razor blad and just pop them but be sure to get the ring out at the bottem of the cyst. It is like a ring of gristle and if you don't get it out the cyst will regrow. If your not propared to use a razor take the dog to the vet. All cysts can turn nasty if not treated.
best of luck
Mike

mine have them also(gsds)i leave them be unless the animal starts to bite at them as they can be irrating and itchy at times.had to take lily to vets about 3 months ago and he just popped it ,cleane it and gave her an antibotic jab,some tablets and that was it.yes i agree they can grow to a size .i,ve seen some on other dogs(not mine)that have been the size of a grapefruit.i wouldnt take a razor blade to one of my animals.dangerous in my opinion.Carole S.

Sebaceous gland cysts are VERY common in GSDs. They can be simple and not a big deal, or they can grow very large, until eventually they rupture, and/or become infected. Antibiotics will sometimes help get one closed if it is small, and antibiotics are always necessary if one becomes infected. Some will remain not much of a problem, and others can become a serious problem requiring removal. IF you are just sqeezing it out periodically, it is likely to become a mess at one point. When they become larger than a dime, I prefer to have them treated with an opening up and clean out by the vet, or simply removed. I have a female now who has only recently developed two on her back near the withers and they are large enough already that they will be removed.

Most are easily removed by popping. However watch them. One of my males had one turn cancerous but luckily it was caught in time

Mattie my old Aussie has them all over, my vet doesn't want to do any thing. Huge one on her chest, smaller on her back, and flank, belly and at the base of her tail. He thinks that if they put her under general, she is so old and weak that she may not wake up. He seems to think that keeping them are the lesser of the two evils.

Thanks everyone for your reply's. My boy is recovering well and if all goes according to plan we can be back on the schH field in 2 or 3 weeks once his stitches are removed and his incesion heals. In the mean time we can still track & do some lite OB work.

Regards,