# Sebaceous cysts



## CT Girl

I have no personal experience on this but when I looked it up several people mentioned warm compresses when the cyst starts to develop may help and I also saw that several mentions of tea tree oil as being helpful. Some people get a very small needle (like for insulin) and drain some of the liquid and then use Neosporin but you may run a risk of infection with this approach. One person mentioned that he used lidocaine when he did this. You would think they would have a better treatment for this since it is so common. I hope you find something that works for Ginger.


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## Ladyscarletthawk

Kinda graphic....

So my mini had had this lump on her hip for a few years now and I thought to myself great she's getting warts young. Well it never turned into an a wart (Vet thought it was a beginner wart too). Then a couple weeks ago I found another lump within an inch of the first one, much smaller. This made me take a closer look at it and noticed the original bump had an amber dot in the middle and I started to rub it between my fingers and it popped! I was sooo grossed out as this amber cheese whiz stuff came out. Well I figured what the hell and squeezed it all out and went after the much smaller one too. Both have healed very nicely so far. Then I looked online at the people who pop their dogs cysts and learned that after you squeeze me you pull out the little sac or case of the cyst. I pokes of the whole. That way it just doesnt just fill in with more sebum or whatever. Same thing with people cysts. If you have a strong stomach check out YouTube. Ugh my skin is crawling just thinking about it. So you know where I stand, I would pop them again if I did it over again! 
Here is the original popped cyst looks good, hopefully it doesn't come back as I didn't remove the sac, but now I know I should. At least that is what the surgeons said on YouTube that someone recorded of their son's cyst lancing.









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## Abbe gails Mom

Go on the net, look for how to pop a cysts, there is a little dog on there, his people took him to the vet, and the vet poped this thing, It, was huge, and YUCK. Might help you get some info. ,dont know, but might. Good luck, with sweet Ginger.


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## peppersb

If you can afford it, I'd make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist. You can find one here:
https://www.acvd.org/locator/locator.asp

If none of these dermatologists can help, I highly recommend Metropolitan Veterinary Services in the suburbs of Philadelphia. They saved Bob's life a month or so ago (see the Bob's bloody nose thread). They have a dermatologist on staff and they have a multi-disciplinary approach so if the dermatologist is not a surgeon, she would work with other specialists who are surgeons. I know that they are not close to you, but it might be worth the drive. Or maybe they could refer you to someone closer. See http://www.metro-vet.com/

Hope that you can find a solution. This does not sound like much fun for you or for Ginger.


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## msminnamouse

These don't have heads at all and run very dead so I can't pop them. I saw that video before. Ew!



> I called around to the dermatologists in our area and they told me that they don't treat this skin problem! and/or aren't surgeons.


BUT, I finally found one today over an hour away that has no problem removing them with a local block. 

Rant time.

I mean, really. I'm pretty fed up with my regular vets. Why would you put a dog under the unnecessary risk of anesthesia repeatedly when you don't need to for the procedure? A local block will do JUST FINE. 

I'm also fed up with the dermatologists. Really? I could only find one that operates on skin conditions? What do the rest do all day???


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## petitpie

Try diluted iodine.


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## CT Girl

I think it is very irresponsible for a vet to put a dog under when a local would do. I would start looking around. Very odd that a dog dermatologist is not a surgeon but a human dermatologist had no problem cutting a pre cancerous mole out on me - using a local.


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## msminnamouse

They've been the only general practice vets in the area who haven't tried to fleece be yet. Now I think it's all going to hell with them too. Ginger is 12 years old. I really want her to keep being put under!

I'm getting really angry. Do I have to pretend that I don't give a damn about my dogs to get some decent, affordable, trustworthy care?? What does it take?

Our latest in a long list of avian vets wants to operate on my tiny little lovebird parrot. Even a TINY BIT of blood loss can be a very sure death. But as long as she makes a few hundred, who cares about the damn bird, right?

Because she says that I shouldn't even bother with injections to see if the stupid drug works, I should just get the surgical procedure with her fully under to implant the chip. ANNUALLY done, no less. 

Why don't I just save myself the time and money and kill my pets for them? What does it take to find a vet you can trust? What is wrong with this profession? Yes, I care deeply for my pets. I want them to be well. Why are medical professionals preying on poor, defenseless animals? Why is it all the vets are going South? I'm running out of them. 

Yes, yes. They need to make a living. I get it. Not at the expense of my pet's lives and wellbeing. 

I'm not feeling well and am probably more emotional than I should be but who am I supposed to trust? Do I have to go to vet school myself? I don't have a school near me or I'd probably just go to them and trust the students over a wizened vet who's already seeing dollar signs instead of living, breathing, creatures. 

Rant over. Still pissed though that I'm losing what used to be a good vet.


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## Ladyscarletthawk

Why would they prefer to put her under to remove the cysts anyway? I mean if there is a different and safer way that is. Have you insisted on the local instead? I don't wanna rile up anymore lol, but how willing are they to do as you ask?


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## msminnamouse

I'm calmer now. It's very.... scary... when you can't trust whether the advice your doctors are giving you is safe or even makes sense. You have no idea who many practices I had to call to find just safer options for Ginger and also my parrot.

They give lame excuses. It changes from visit to visit, doctor to doctor or even the same doctor and the same visit. At the same exact practice. The dog might fidget. We might not get the whole cell wall. But they run really deep. And when really pressed: It's not our policy. 

So my insisting that I'm not comfortable with their offered advice isn't sufficient to bring about any action. I can hardly think it's due to potential law suits when their advice is more dangerous than the procedure that I feel comfortable with. 

We'll have to drive an hour or so but it's priceless for a safer option. Ginger isn't replaceable. Neither is my bird. 

I became a dog trainer to make informed decisions. I can't go to veterinary school too and there's only so much I can research on my own.

Is anyone else running into such bad luck with vets?


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## mom24doggies

Why do the cysts have to be removed? Pepper has one on her rear, it's been there for years. Periodically it gets big and drains, then goes back to being small. It's never bothered her and never caused any trouble. Although last time it did get infected after draining, but healed up within a couple days of treatment. If they don't bother her and aren't harming anything, I say leave them. And I hear you on the vets...at this point I rely on them for vaccines, blood work, etc. and the rest I am very cautious about. I do a lot of research before trusting them. I also say no a lot! Although I do have access to a couple very good ones here, and I'm very thankful for them!


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## N2Mischief

OMgosh yes! I had a pug that ripped off a toenail. The vet insisted it was infected to the bone and the ONLY way to fix it was to amputate. I believed him. I had researched a lot about anesthesia and I knew with pugs giving any kind of pre-anesthetic drug is a huge no no, especially ace. So I told the vet he under no circumstances were they to use Ace. I wanted her masked down with isoflourene (sp?) only. Then I told the vet tech the same thing. I drove home and called them to AGAIN stress my wishes. A few hours later I called to see how she did. The vet said her heart had stopped in surgery and they had to do CPR to bring her back! I asked if they gave her Ace...."yes" he said. He said he had never heard that it was dangerous to pugs and thought I was over reacting! The ONLY thing that was positive was that he never got a chance to amputate her toe, which by the way, healed just fine with antibiotics.


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## CT Girl

I was very upset at my former vet with the way the last few days of my Aussie's life went. I did a ton of research and found a great vet. When I went the platelet scare she called me on a Sunday night to give me an update and her charges were very reasonable. I wish I could clone her and send a copy msminnamouse. I do think I would leave the cysts alone except for non invasive things like tree oil and warm compresses unless they are bothering your dog.


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## Ladyscarletthawk

When I had birds they contracted giardia. I took them in to the vet and had them on metro and probiotics for two weeks.. Still had giardia. Then we did panacur and probiotics.. Still had giardia.. Did this back and forth.. I was the naive he's the vet and knows best. Well regular vet was absent and the vet sub suggested metro and panacur and probiotic.. So I did and I lost my beautiful, sweet, handfed Rosy Bourke. I was devastated it didnt occur to me we OD'd him, I thought we just lost the good fight. Not till later and I vowed never to completely trust a vet's word so easily ever again! It's hard to find a good vet and one has to do their own research to do the best for their babies. 


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