Huge Bump on my 6 mo GSD - Page 1

 I came home from work today and took my 6 mo GSD out of his crate and noticed a huge bump on his nose.  I touched it all over and he has no reaction.  It is hard and not swollen and soft.  Anyone every see this before?

Looks like he got a sting of some sort or just rubbed the crap out of it!!  Can he breathe?  I would take him to the vet or give him some Benadryl to see if that reduces the swelling.....you can give 1 to 2 milligrams per pound of body weight!

Vickie

www.PowerHausKennels.com

The poor little guy!

Could this be an insect bite? Spider, maybe? Are flying insects out yet in your part of the country? Do you live somewhere where ants might have stung him while he was outside earlier in the day?

If he's otherwise fine, lively, happy, drinks and eats and eliminates, you might just watch it and him. It's ok to give a Benadryl, 25 mg for a dog his age, to manage the histamine reaction - if this is one. If it's not, the Benadryl won't hurt. Not all dogs respond to Benadryl though.

If he's a cuddle dog you could sit on the couch with him and put an ice pack on his nose, 10 minutes on, 20 minutes off, repeat. And if there's no change in 24 hrs or if he starts acting out of sorts, take him to the vet.

Best healing thoughts and let us know how it goes.

 Breathing is normal, I looked in his nostrils and they seem nice and wide.  I touch the bump and it feels like bone, I dont feel swelling like I think I would if a sting.  I was contemplating bendryl as you mentioned tonite just in case it was a bite. He is in his normal playful mood.  Other than my shock at the site of this lump, he acts like nothing has happened.

 I actually sent my vet pics.  She reads emails at night and responds in the morning.  

I agree with Vickie. If this is sudden, the chances are very high he got stung or bitten by something...perhaps a bee? Where do you live? Around here, there are no bees or wasps since it is freezing cold. So what else is there around, like a spider etc., that might have caused this?

If he is having any trouble breathing now, you would be wise to take him to a vet now. Where was his crate? Or could he have simply been trying to get out of the crate and hurt himself? He appears swollen in his entire face, around his eyes but the photos are not great so it may not  be so. This looks to me like a reaction to a sting. 

If he is not in really serious distress, in particular, if he is NOT having trouble breathing and otherwise seems to be acting normally, get some Benadryl capsules.  If he is 50 lbs or over, give him 50-100mg. It may make him sleepy, but that won't hurt him. If it is a sting, that should dramatically reduce the swelling in a few hours. If it helps, I would repeat the dose in 8-12 hours. But, do watch him closely for swelling in his throat, difficulty breathing, vomiting, etc.. At the first sign of something really abnormal, take him to your vet.

Good luck.

 We are in California in San Francisco.  He was in a large kennel in our garage with his bed and water.  So no bees. but a spider or ants may be it.  I checked the garage and could not see anything that stood out.  His crate looked normal.  I took some more pics to get a better angle. He normally has kind of droopy eyes but the nose never looks like this. I am going to give him the bendryl now and see if this is better in a few hours and if not improved I will take him to the vet first thing.

Insect bites/stings are generally hard to the touch. I'd go with the Benadryl. His ears have good colour, they aren't deep pink so I don't think he's having a generalised allergic reaction.

It is also not impossible that he has a tooth abscess. Check his mouth carefully. The fact that he has no drainage from the nose makes it unlikely he has some sort of infection in his nose. But do check his mouth. 

I had a dog here this summer who was out in one of the large exercise runs. I put her out there and then went to get her and she was fine. I walked into her kennel corridor a few minutes later and I could not recognize the dog! She had apparently been stung by a bee. The benadryl took care of it. When one does not know what your dog looks like, it does make it tough to be certain, but again, the swelling is evident. 

Because this is his nose, again, watch for any signs of respiratory difficulty. If that starts, take him to a vet immediately. Can you tell if the swelling is getting worse or about the same? Take a washable magic marker if you have one and make a mark at the point on his skin where swelling stops. That way you will be able to tell whether it is getting worse or better.

Good luck.

 Great Idea about the marker!  It looks the same size and its been 2 hours now.  I just gave him a benadryl, so I expect to see a difference i guess in 4 hours, but I am going to mark his nose.  Checked his mouth his gums seem a little warm, or warmer than what I know his gums to be and he did not like me checking his gums normally he is really good about this, he is a very mellow male.  I cant find anything inside.

One can open a 25 mg benedryl capsule and rub it in with a little water, or buy some benadry cream.  If it is an insect bite, that may help.  If it is an insect bite, your vet may want you to rub antibiodic salve on it to prevent s skin infection, which can sometimes be hard to get rid of.