Rachel, my Belgian Malinois, is about 8. She's always been kind of nutty, always a bit anxious (I'm told this is common with shepherd breeds) but it's really coming to a head lately. I feel bad because I know this is at least partly my fault for not being home more. She's had several broken teeth (1 of her canines was removed plus 4-5 more that's she's chipped, plus several are worn down) from chewing on the bars of her crate and/or chewing on her nails. If I let them get even a little bit long, she'll chew. She also licks and chews on her feet and legs incessantly, causing red, raw toes and "lick granulomas" on her legs. She also has arthritis that causes her to lick the painful spots when it acts up. She has also been having skin issues - yeast infections, staph infections, etc. Luckily it's not as severe as it could be, but it's irritating for both of us. Plus she's limping frequently, either because of the arthritis or raw, painful feet.
So I'm trying some new things. I'm putting her back on fish oil capsules since that seemed to help her arthritis and skin. She's going back on her arthritis meds every day (it's prescribed "as needed" and I don't like to medicate when not necessary). So I'm bathing her tonight with medicated shampoo/conditioner and what do I find? Lumps! She has a pea-sized lump in her armpit which is probably nothing, but bigger lumps near her ribs and on her spine. I hate to think she might have cancer, and I don't want to be hysterical about it, but it really worries me. I don't even have time to take her to the vet until next week most likely. She's acting "fine" (normal for her) so it's not an emergency, but of course my mind goes to the worst! Ugh!!!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
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