Ingrown hair on dogs

[Grinch]

Me again with another not so grooming question, lol.
My Fila puppy who is now almost 8 months old has a bunch of sore pockets on her chin near her mouth. If I squeeze at them they do burst and one actually had two little hairs in it so I'm guessing they were ingrown hairs as I've heard Filas are especially prone to that?? My other thought is that it's an infection from bites but she doesn't have puncture wounds, however my cocker and my chihuahuas hang from her mouth when they are playing. I am calling the vet first thing on Monday but wanted to know if anyone has had a similar problem. Like I said I'm thinking they are infected/ingrown hair follicles. Some of the area still has hair the other is bald an looks like a scar and the whole thing feels swollen and or full of puss and blood. I just noticed the extent of it today or she would have gone to the vet sooner.

[edderland]

canine acne; scrub the area with a rough washcloth and benzoyl peroxide acne scrub or betadine, twice a day; should clear up. Make sure you are feeding and watering her in a stainless dish or ceramic or glass; some vinyl dishes give off a vapor that can cause acne or pigmentation loss. Ditto for storing feed in a rubber/plastic tote.

[stewiedog]

oh edderland beat me to it. Yep, sounds like canine, or puppy acne. It is almost like teenage kids at puberty. It is my understanding most of the Mastiff, and Bully breeds are more prone to it.

I am SURE I will be corrected ASAP if my comments are wrong (more of a chuckle to my self, but I know others on here understand too LOL)

[Stringycheese]

Seconding the dish advice. One of my cats had terrible chin acne as a kitten, and as soon as I changed from a plastic dish to a glass one, it cleared up and has never returned.

[Grinch]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to give that a try before I rush her to the vet, since she doesn't seemed bothered by it anyway.

All her dishes are stainless steel so I don't really know if that's affecting her. Maybe just because her chin is so smushy and has little tight wrinkles it's just holding debris and dirt.

Thanks again!

[D'tails]

Its pretty common in large breeds. My male Dobe had it as a puppy and his chin remained thickened when he got older. Adding some vinegar to his water dish will also help - helps keep the bacteria under control when he gets his chin wet while drinking.

[Makere]

my rottie gets them pretty regulary, usually ill wipe her chin down with those acne pads you can buy. Once to twice a day if they are really bad and she usually clears up in about a week. This was advice from my vet too.

[Grinch]

I got some clean and clear face wash today and used it on her so hopefully it will start to work. I have a feeling she's going to start running when she sees me coming soon. She really is turning out to be such a good dog. I wish the breed was more accepting to strangers though. But man when she loves you its true devotion. I wouldn't hesitate to get a fila again.

[windywaycavaliers]

edderland is right on.

[Grinch]

What are you guys using to store your food? I do use big rubbermaid containers.

[huskylover103]

Brazilian Fila?

What kind of fila is this? Fila Brasileiro? (Brazilian Fila, Brazilian Mastiff) My mother's in laws used to breed those when I was a kid. Great watchdogs, but are grumpy when pregnant and an eight year old trys to feel the babies. (ME, LOL) I have never again seen another one, they are quite rare around here.

[Helly]

It does sound like puppy acne, which is pretty common. But keep an eye on it. Sometimes the variety of bacteria that's causing it can be fairly resistent to the normal treatments, and you'll need to have a culture/sensitivity done to find out what type of antibiotics are needed to get it under control.

And don't forget about MRSA. It's definitely something to rule out if the rash doesn't clear up quickly.

[kputman]

I got some clean and clear face wash today and used it on her so hopefully it will start to work. I have a feeling she's going to start running when she sees me coming soon.

Do it just before you feed her. Have her sit for her food and maybe give her a bite, then clean the area and give her the rest of the food. That worked wonders when I had to put drops in my std poodle puppy's ears.