We are having some Jake drama.
Sometime last week Jake started to get this very strange red spot on his snout, just above his nose. At first it looked like he was a bit sunburned or had pawed at it too much in a moment of enthusiasm.
He had also been licking his paws and rubbing his face a lot in addition to some watery, puffy eyes. His nose looked like it was running and it was a little crusty - like your nose would be if you had a cold and used cheap Kleenex to blow it too much. We surmised that he was suffering from allergies but took him to the vet anyway.
Jake didn't ever seem to be all that bothered by his change in appearance - he was still peppy and happy to see us. He was a bit more laid back at night but honestly, for Jake that's not very unusual. He's pretty cool.
The vet thought it was a seasonal allergy and gave us some drops for his eyes and told us to call if he didn't get better in a few days.
And oh, did he NOT get better.
Over three days his nose and the spot on his snout went from being a little puffy to really puffy. Then it got all crusty and scabby. And it got puffier. And he kept pawing at it. The next day the scabs broke open and his nose and snout were a crusty, oozing pussy mess. It looked so painful.
We called the vet.
Today when Chris got home to take him in, Jake had managed to rub off ALL of the crusty stuff leaving a bright red and raw patch on his snout.
Usually his nose ends where the red begins. ALLLL of the red stuff is new. When Chris emailed me a photo of him I was shocked that he looked this way.
The vet now thinks that he's suffering from a spider or insect bite of some kind. He hopes.
("Hopes!?" This is not making me feel better!!)
He prescribed a steroid shot and some antibiotics and a really lovely cream to put on his nose that Jake promptly licks off every time we apply it.
If he's not better in 2-3 days we're supposed to go back. If it's not gone by then he'll biopsy the red puffiness and see if it's something that falls in the Really Bad Shit category. (He mentioned lupus, a tumor and other stuff I don't want happening to my sweet Jake.)
I hope he starts to looking better soon.
poor jake! that spot looks icky! hopefully, he'll feel better soon. :(
Posted by: robin | August 13, 2008 at 08:50 AM
Oh, poor Jake. Hopefully it's just an allergic reaction and NOTHING more, too.
...and yes, he's still a very happy dog!
Posted by: Grace | August 13, 2008 at 01:15 PM