Penelope Graben, DVM

Biography

Penelope Graben is originally from Florida. She went to art school before vet school, studying wheel thrown ceramics. She attended veterinary school at Ross University in St. Kitts and finished her final year of school at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. She completed externships in Guatemala, South Africa, Thailand, and Tasmania during school. She still enjoys making pottery on the wheel, painting, and travelling. She currently resides in Las Vegas, NV with her wife, four poorly behaved dogs, and one perfect ferret (Harvey- pictured).

Hello. My Chinese crested seems to have developed a dry patch as seen in the photos. I was told it started small and grew. And the more red outside edge seems really irritated like the skin could be chacking or splitting a little. Not sure if she needs moisturizer or like antibiotics. I'm trying this again as my photo didn't attach properly last time.

Hello, This appears to be a very large region of skin infection- it could be fungal, bacterial, or both. This looks quite serious due to its size and will take a bit of dedicated treatment with likely both regular topical (shampoos, creams) and daily oral medications for a few months to get under control. She may have underlying skin disease that makes her more prone to developing infections due to her breed. I'd try to have her seen by a veterinarian this week.

I think my 6-7 month old husky/Great Dane mix got into some acorns. She has had 1 full day of diarrhea, with some blood in it at first but now less. I did see some pieces of acorn in the stools. What can I do to help her? It’s too late to induce vomiting. She is fine otherwise and hungry as usual. I’ve fed her only rice/rice water, cooked chicken, pumpkin purée, and some unflavored pedialyte. How long should I expect her to feel better/ more normal stools? Or expect worsened or better symptoms?!

Hello, Good work on what you've done already with the rice, chicken, pumpkin, and pedialyte. I would continue with that for this week then slowly adjust her back to her normal food over another week. You could also try some probiotics, like Fortiflora or Proviable from your veterinarian to help get her gut bacteria healthier faster. Dogs get small amounts of blood in their stool from inflammation much more commonly and easily than humans do- that can be normal for passing some rough plant material. She could have diarrhea for 3-5 days from something like this, then I would expect it to start to improve. If it lasts longer than that, or she becomes lethargic or uninterested in food, those would be reasons to have her seen by her vet. Best of luck and take care.

My dog is acting very strange lately. She yelps every time I pick her up & she also gets extremely scared and pees on herself when I get too close. This is very unlike her. She has had impacted anal glands before so I am wondering if they may be impacted/infected this time causing her to be in a lot of pain. She also cannot jump up on the couch or bed on her own which she usually can do. Any advice is appreciated!

Hello, I'm so sorry to hear this about Kaya. I agree that it does sound like she could be in pain- pain from an anal gland infection, or belly or back pain would be my first suspicions. I'd take her to see a veterinarian as soon as possible- they will be able to recommend the best diagnostics and treatments after a physical exam. Best of luck and take good care to both of you.

Hi. My dog has gotten these white spots on one side of his face. I am clueless as to what could be causing this. He is on Bravecto so it can’t be ticks and fleas.

Hello, Thanks for the great photo! Fedro is very cute. Good work on the Bravecto as well. f the skin under the fur is red, itchy, or scabbed, this could be a sign of an underlying skin problem or infection. If the skin is otherwise fine, this could be a case of vitiglio, which causes benign patches of color loss. I'd consult with Fedro's veterinarian if you're concerned.

2 weeks ago I noticed a small, raised, pink bump on my dog's leg. It has grown to become a larger, rounder, redder bump. I took her to the vet and they said it might be a button cell tumor but they cannot be sure. They said I could watch and wait and see if it grew or started to shrink. I am hoping to get a sense of the risk of waiting in case it is something not benign. It is small now, so should we not remove it and biopsy it? How risky is waiting if it is malignant?

Hello, Thanks for the good photo. Due to the location, there's not a lot of extra skin in that region if it does get much larger and need surgical removal, which could make the procedure more difficult. If possible, I'd want to surgically remove it and biopsy it sooner rather than later. Since it's minimally invasive, I would feel fine about having the procedure done even if it is benign- even benign masses can become problematic with size and infections later. It could be preventive for future issues. Have a good evening. Best of luck.