Guest Fluffy Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Badger was with my parents for part of this week while I was busy going back and forth to various work locales. I came to their house last night to pick him up and found him happy and relaxed (my parents adore him, and vice versa), but at one point he roached and I caught sight of this horrific...thing...on his belly. This is the mark today, looking slightly better than it looked last night. It's a large, bruise-ish mark about the size of my hand on the bottom of the deepest part of his chest. It ranges from deep purple-black (worse last night, slightly lighter this morning) on one edge to a lighter "just scratched an itch there" pink-red. Toward the center, there is an area of light scabbing. It is completely dry, no blistering, bleeding, or oozing. He does not appear to know it's there, and neither scratches at it nor takes any (apparent) notice when you touch it, so I don't think it is hurting or itching him. It doesn't fall neatly into either the "bruise" category or the "rash" category because of this. I blurted out "What the hell is THAT!" when I saw it and everyone looked. My mom assures me that they had been dispensing bellyrubs to order every night to him and if he'd had such a thing the night before, they would absolutely have noticed. So it seems it appeared, full-blown, within about 24 hours. Possible things that could have something to do with this: 1. He went to the groomer's yesterday morning (the morning of the day I found the mark) and got a bath, nail clipping, and de-shedding. The groomer is not ignorant of greyhounds (she was recommended by the rescue Badger came from), but is it possible they used some product that irritated him there, or held him with a strap under his belly that bruised him? 2. I walk him in the woods, but generally only on paths. It's possible he rubbed against some poison ivy or irritating plant, but I don't know where he would have, and I don't know enough about poison ivy to identify the rash by sight. Also, wouldn't poison ivy have him itching madly? 3. He got his Heartgard a few days ago, but he's been taking that monthly for six months and never showed the slightest sensitivity. He's due for his Frontline, but I'm about a week late with it this month and haven't applied it yet. Those are the only things I can think of, although it's of course possible that something else I didn't notice is the reason. Because he doesn't appear to be in any pain or distress, I'm hesitant to drag him to the vet unless it has the potential to be serious or be something that just time won't clear up, so I wanted to get some opinions from this hive of greyhound knowledge. Anyone know what might have caused this? How concerned should I be, and does this call for a trip to the vet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindles Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Wow. That looks like blunt trauma to me. Is it tender to the touch? Quote | Rachel | Dewty, Trigger, and Charlotte | Missing Dazzle, Echo, and Julio | Learn what your greyhound's life was like before becoming part of yours!"The only thing better than the cutest kitty in the world is any dog." -Daniel Tosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fluffy Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Wow. That looks like blunt trauma to me. Is it tender to the touch? Doesn't seem to be. He doesn't flinch or pull away when I prod it. No GSODing or anything. But then, he's a stoic and seldom shows distress beyond a halfhearted pulling away when he does things like cut himself, either. So maybe he's just hiding it well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Looks like it he hit or bumped something, causing bleeding under the skin, which is common with thin-skinned dogs and people. If it doesn't seem painful, AND you don't see MORE of this type of "bleeding," or SPREADING of such, I'd just keep a close eye on it, and go from there. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeForHounds Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Looks like it he hit or bumped something, causing bleeding under the skin, which is common with thin-skinned dogs and people. If it doesn't seem painful, AND you don't see MORE of this type of "bleeding," or SPREADING of such, I'd just keep a close eye on it, and go from there. Good Luck! That's what it looks like to me. It's possible that he bumped it getting off the table at the groomers??? My Jake bleeds under the skin like that, especilly in nstances where his skin gets pulled sideways. (kind of hard to describe but sort of like when you twist the skin on your arm like a Chinese burn) He got a bruise similar to that on his butt when he slipped getting off the couch. Jake is also a bleeder, mostly with bruising rather than an open wound. He actually has a thread in H & M right now. I'd keep an eye on it also. As long as it isn't spreading much more, or in another spot then he should be fine. Quote Casual Bling & Hope for HoundsJanet & the hounds Maggie and Allen Missing my baby girl Peanut, old soul Jake, quirky Jet, Mama Grandy and my old Diva Miz Foxy; my angel, my inspiration. You all brought so much into my light, and taught me so much about the power of love, you are with me always.If you get the chance to sit it out or dance.......... I hope you dance! Missing our littlest girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bang_o_rama Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 From its shape and the way it's darker at one end, a hard bump/scrape against an edge like a grooming table (jumping up to it or down from it) seems a likely candidate. The edge dug in more at the right (as seen in the pic) and more blood pooled there. There even looks to be an abrasion associated with it. ~D~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmc333 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Our Gertie slipped on the outside deck stairs and hit her chest on the vertical edge of a step and had a bruise just like that, sizewise and colorwise. Put some arnica gel on it for 2 days and was totally fine. Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fluffy Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Ok, bruising I can handle, phew! I'll just give hima kiss and tell him it's more proof that he's related to my mother, who bruises if you so much as look at her skin funny. Poor guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Looks like he scraped himself on something and left a big bruise. One of mine hit themselves jumping up into a top crate one time and it left a scrape and bruise just like that. Wonder if he tried to jump off the grooming table and misjudged the distance. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I'm thinking grooming table or got bumped when they lifted him into the tub, too... Does not mean your groomer is a bad one; they do bruise easily and it doesn't take much sometimes. Now if he keeps having bruises or other issues after a grooming visit, then I'd definately say time for a switch. Frank gets an occasional "mystery bruise" just from going thru day to day life, though usually not that large. Just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't grow or pool with blood. Arnica gel does help a little, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytloves Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 (edited) I would ask the groomer if he had a slip or fall and show him the picture of the bruise. Not accusingly, just trying to figure out if that is where it came from. IF they get defensive or denies in a defensive manner THEN I would consider not going back. If they say something like "OMG, he did slip, but I did not think it would bruise like that!" or even "Wow, I did not see it happen, but I will check around" or even "Wow! I don't think it happened here, is he OK?" then they are good. As someone who worked at a kennel and we also groomed, I know that somepeople can be too hard on the animals, but if they react properly then I would be OK with the bruise. I had to fire a guy one day as I caught him hitting a dog. So you do need to ask, just to make sure. It looks just like a bruise my girl got last year when she wiped out chasing her brother down and hit a tree with her stomach. Yes, I freaked when I saw it happen. Basically I was in slow motion "NNNNNNOOOOOOOO". She just jumped up and went back to being the Queen. But she did bruise like that. eta: if he did slip and fall at the groomers, keep in mind that it probably is not their fault and things happen. If they act funny about it, then I would worry they left him on the table and walked away or mishandled him. Danger of leaving him on the table is if they have him tied off, next time it could be bad. So, I would check out the groomer. Better safe than sorry! Edited October 10, 2010 by greytloves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Badger was with my parents for part of this week while I was busy going back and forth to various work locales. I came to their house last night to pick him up and found him happy and relaxed (my parents adore him, and vice versa), but at one point he roached and I caught sight of this horrific...thing...on his belly. This is the mark today, looking slightly better than it looked last night. It's a large, bruise-ish mark about the size of my hand on the bottom of the deepest part of his chest. It ranges from deep purple-black (worse last night, slightly lighter this morning) on one edge to a lighter "just scratched an itch there" pink-red. Toward the center, there is an area of light scabbing. It is completely dry, no blistering, bleeding, or oozing. He does not appear to know it's there, and neither scratches at it nor takes any (apparent) notice when you touch it, so I don't think it is hurting or itching him. It doesn't fall neatly into either the "bruise" category or the "rash" category because of this. I blurted out "What the hell is THAT!" when I saw it and everyone looked. My mom assures me that they had been dispensing bellyrubs to order every night to him and if he'd had such a thing the night before, they would absolutely have noticed. So it seems it appeared, full-blown, within about 24 hours. Possible things that could have something to do with this: 1. He went to the groomer's yesterday morning (the morning of the day I found the mark) and got a bath, nail clipping, and de-shedding. The groomer is not ignorant of greyhounds (she was recommended by the rescue Badger came from), but is it possible they used some product that irritated him there, or held him with a strap under his belly that bruised him? 2. I walk him in the woods, but generally only on paths. It's possible he rubbed against some poison ivy or irritating plant, but I don't know where he would have, and I don't know enough about poison ivy to identify the rash by sight. Also, wouldn't poison ivy have him itching madly? 3. He got his Heartgard a few days ago, but he's been taking that monthly for six months and never showed the slightest sensitivity. He's due for his Frontline, but I'm about a week late with it this month and haven't applied it yet. Those are the only things I can think of, although it's of course possible that something else I didn't notice is the reason. Because he doesn't appear to be in any pain or distress, I'm hesitant to drag him to the vet unless it has the potential to be serious or be something that just time won't clear up, so I wanted to get some opinions from this hive of greyhound knowledge. Anyone know what might have caused this? How concerned should I be, and does this call for a trip to the vet? I posted a very similar picture of my Beau with the exact same thing but it was on his underbelly, penis, and legs. We have no idea of how it happened. it went away graually but quckly and we never did figure out what happened. If Beau had hurt himself, we would have heard it so we have no idea. Quote ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties. Waiting at the bridge Angel Polli Bohemian Ocean , Rocky, Blue,Sasha & Zoobie & Bobbi Greyhound Angels Adoption (GAA) The Lexus Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lynne893 Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Definitely a bruise. Probably from the groomers (they picked him up, presumably, to put him in the bath). If someone lifts a grey from underneath around the grey's belly, that can happen very easily, even if the vet tech or groomer was being gentle as they can. It should fade within a couple of days. Very scary to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fluffy Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 The bruise is much less scary looking today and is clearly on its way to healing. Thank you everyone for the reassurances and information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hillary Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Our guy Arrow developed something very similar on the inside of his thigh. I found it in great surprise, a week or so after we brought him home. We had to back-track the day's events to figure out what it could have been. And the only thing that matched was a tumble he took when he walked through a laptop cable at a relative's house. I was horrified, as it was somewhat grotesque and dramatic against his bare skin. But yes, it looked exactly like this. We waited a few days to take him to the vet as he wasn't reacting to it. And soon it began to resolve itself, and we've seen nothing of the size since then. Occassionally he will develop small marks like this, after a run in the wooded dog park. We've narrowed it down to bruises, and that Arrow is just a sensitive fellow. Just for peace of mind, this was my experience--although we never took him to the vet for verification. Best to you and pup, take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4dogscrazy Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 I think a bruise too, I had that happen to Jesse. I was lifting him into my Durango which was really high up, and he froze. We kind of bumped around a bit getting him in. He was new at the time, and I never had a dog that wasn't a good jumper before, so it was a bit of comedy of errors. Anyway...after a day or two I noticed the same thing on the inside of his thigh, and I felt so so bad when I figured I must have hurt him trying to get him in there. Thankfully I bought a mini-van with stow and go seats, so I'll never have to lift him up ever again! It went away after a week or so, and it never did bother him at all. It WAS ugly though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlgrey Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 (edited) Wow, what a mark. Did you figure out what it is? Edited October 15, 2010 by stlgrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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