Elbow skin thickening abnormalities--

[baloobear2]

A while back Baloo's Elbows had these dry, crusted but not weeping or any color to them callous on his elbows. I can't think what they are called. Well they didn't really bother him, and now he's about three yrs older, at about 8.5 and they are really starting to be kinda of gross looking, thickened but yet loose and cracked. My question is has anyone else experienced this with there newf and is there any treatment to help make the skin softer and more comfortable, if I pull it away from the elbow area you can see the cracks etc... He doesn't lay on any cement and sleeps on either our bed for a bit and then onto his orthropedic bed. He does lay on the carpet a lot and I am sure this doesn't help...Any thoughts would be appreciated

Thank you!
Michelle, Baloo Bears Mom

 

[Elizabeth]

I think this is quite common. You can try to put some lotion or something on there, but it can be difficult. I did this with Gracie. Just watch for signs of infection...

E

 

[NKlein]

This has happened with Byron because he lies down the vast majority of the day (paralyzed). Our vet suggested a memory foam mattress topper for him (which sounds similar to your orthopaedic bed) and several vets have told me that it's okay so long as no sores develop. It's not so pretty, but doesn't really cause any harm. Sorry I'm no help with actually treating it.

 

[Bella and Gabe]

I worried about this too. Paige has huge ones on her elbows but they are not infected or bleeding. They just look awful. Willow had them too. I don't understand why some dogs do and others don't. Anyway, I appreciate your bringing up the topic, Michelle, and thanks for the advice Elizabeth and Nicole.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

I think it's called a hygroma..and you can buy elbow pads for them. I don't know how successful they would be though. It's very common and not an issue unless they become raw.

 

[Bella and Gabe]

Paige's sort of remind me of the "chestnuts" on a horse's legs.

 

[Liisa]

Pari has them as well. And she lies on all sorts of surfaces - hard woods, comforters, the couch, beds...

She's almost 9 and they don't seem to bother her in any way.

 

[Murphy]

I think it's called a hygroma..and you can buy elbow pads for them. I don't know how successful they would be though. It's very common and not an issue unless they become raw.

This might be what is happeneing with Murphy..
He is obsessivly licking and it looks nasty

 

[Angela]

Dudley had hygroma on one elbow, it discharged for months and he needed antibiotics for a very long time.
He had elbow pads.
Think it mostly happens to older dogs.

 

[Bella and Gabe]

This is Paige's elbow:

 

[Elizabeth]

A hygroma is fluid filled. What Michelle described sounds like the callusing (is that a word??) of the elbows. Just watch for redness and swelling... Gracie's elbows weren't pretty, flaky and thick.. Looked a lot like Paige's elbow.
I put Cetaphil lotion on Gracie.

E

 

[Bella and Gabe]

Do you know why the fur around the area falls out and what is there immediately surrounding it is discolored (brownish) ?

 

[Lauren W]

Kasper had this when we first got him. The vet scraped the area and tested the skin. She said to wipe the area with an antiseptic and put vitamin A&D ointment on it. It cleared up only to come back when I was not diligent about doing this. We recently switched to a grain free food and it cleared within 2 weeks.

 

[Bella and Gabe]

Kasper had this when we first got him. The vet scraped the area and tested the skin. She said to wipe the area with an antiseptic and put vitamin A&D ointment on it. It cleared up only to come back when I was not diligent about doing this. We recently switched to a grain free food and it cleared within 2 weeks.

Lauren, did Kasper's look like what I showed the photo of Paige's elbow? Dry, bumpy, flakey? This is an interesting thead.

 

[nowhavethreebears]

My Gabriel has one on his elbow that looks like Paige's. He has had it for a long time, since he was about two, I think.
His vets have looked at it several times over the years. They say it is like a pressure sore/callous in humans.

Occasionally, and I mean very occasionally, it will weep a bit of fluid and I think that is what discolors the hair. He licks it sometimes too, and saliva will also discolor the hair. He doesn't lick at it all the time...Just sometimes when he is doing his routine housecleaning he will give it a swipe.


It varies in size at times too. I think it depends on how dry/humid the air is. I have a cream, Skin Works, by Coat Handler that I apply to it to keep it moist. I will put triple antibiotic cream on it during the times it is particularly dry and flaky.
I also keep the hair there trimmed short so I can keep an eye on the spot....

Oh....I feed grain free and it doesn't seem to make a difference....

 

[Pipelineozzy]

A hygroma is fluid filled. What Michelle described sounds like the callusing (is that a word??) of the elbows. Just watch for redness and swelling... Gracie's elbows weren't pretty, flaky and thick.. Looked a lot like Paige's elbow.
I put Cetaphil lotion on Gracie.

E

You're right...
And often a hygroma will form behind the callous if the trauma continues, and that's where the weeping and infections come in.
Padding somehow is about the only way to stop it..but lotions and things that keep the skin soft may help.

I have a 9 year old Landseer that has had them as long as I can remember, just the hard, bare skin. It's never caused her any issues at all.

 

[Angela]

Right! This is what happened to Dudley, he started with a callous, then possibly because he was lying down a lot, similar to pressure sores with people, it became a hygroma.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

I can't remember where,but I saw somewhere that makes pads for dogs for the elbows..much like the knee pads volleyball players wear. Luna would never wear them even if I bought them, but some dogs might.

 

[Lauren W]

Lauren, did Kasper's look like what I showed the photo of Paige's elbow? Dry, bumpy, flakey? This is an interesting thead.

Yes, exactly!! I think our vet said it was a yeast.

 

[Lori]

Sydney has a hygroma on her front elbow. It acts up every once in a while. Last time it got infected and we had to do antibiotics. This time it just has one spot that won't heal up. I keep putting on the cream the vet gave us - Silver Sulfadiazine. I found these:

http://www.dogleggs.com/adjustable/

I haven't bought them, they look like a good idea, just pricey. Seems like they make a lot of neat things to help out dogs.