Skin Disorders

Question
I have a white boxer. Shes about two years old. She recently had a red raised spot show up on her side. I shave the area thinking that it was a hot spot. I also gave her a shot of penicillin at the advise of a friend of mine who also does a lot of home treatment. I tried putting triple antibiotic ointment on the spot but she kept licking it off. When I first shaved the area it look to be slightly scabbed over.That was about two or three days ago. Today I noticied that the spot has gotten bigger and in one area where it had appeared to be scabbed over there was puss coming out. No oozing or anything but i saw a spot of puss on it and when i looked at it i squeezed it and puss came out at first it was like very slighty yellow then it turned like blood tinged. I'm sure that it became blood tinged from where I had squeezed it , but being that she is white I'm concerned about the spot. I don't have the money to take her to the vet to have it looked at right now. What should I do to make it better? Is there anyway that the spot could be a manifestation of a harmful skin disease like leukemia or cancer? Could it be just a minor irritation or? I don't know what to do. Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.

Answer

Hi Britny,

Since your dog hasn't responded to your attempts at treating whatever skin condition this is, it's time to have your dog examined by a vet. I'm sorry, but there's absolutely no way to guess at what the condition might be, or if it's cancerous.

If you are having trouble affording veterinary care, first talk to your regular vet. Ask your veterinarian if he or she will let you work out a payment plan. Many veterinarians are willing to work out a weekly or monthly payment plan so that you do not have to pay the entire cost of veterinary care up front. If that doesn't work, contact your local shelter or Humane Society. Some shelters operate or know of local subsidized veterinary clinics or veterinary assistance programs. You could also check with veterinary schools in your state to see if they offer discount services to the public. You could ask your employer for an advance on your salary. If you happen to belong to a church or synagogue, they might have funds available to help members of their congregation in financial need.

When all else fails, you can apply for a special credit card that can be used for medical bills, including veterinary care. Read about this here:

Care Credit:  http://www.carecredit.com

Citi Healthcard:  http://www.healthcard.citicards.com

The following organizations provide financial assistance to pet owners in need. Please keep in mind that each organization is independent and has their own set of rules and guidelines. Therefore you will have to investigate each one separately to determine if you qualify for assistance:

http://www.thepetfund.com/application/

http://www.angels4animals.org/

http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/

http://www.piggerspals.org/index.html

http://www.vet-i-care.org/

http://shakespeareanimalfund.org/

This charity is just for senior citizens: http://www.help-a-pet.org


Sorry I couldn't be more of a help.
Best of luck,

Patti