Expert: Delores Beck - 5/14/2010

Question
I have a 13 year old "pound puppy" Spaniel. Over the last couple of years, he has grown on his ear a skin flap at first the size and look of an embedded tick, then it has grown to now the size of the tip of my finger. It is reddish, open and oozes clear liquid, once in a while a little blood.  The vet says ignore it, wash the "matted dried gunk" off as necessary. Now, he has developed another one on his side, which is also starting to ooze.  They don't seem to hurt him...but the gunk is "yukky" and I actually have to trim his hair off around the site to keep it decent.  Isn't there something I can do for him to stop the ooze?  I know he is getting old, but of course we love him, and want to keep him as healthy and comfortable as he can be.  He also has developed internal fat tumors-some are large, but they don't hurt him or cause hygiene problems like these
other external tumor type things. THANK YOU from Yoda and our family

Answer
Your vet says "ignore it"?  You need a new vet.  The one you're using is out of the loop.

First he should have aspirated it...a tiny needle taking fluid out..to see what it was..and prescribe whatever antibiotic was necessary.  The "funky gunk" is infection and to tell an owner to just "wash it" is incredible.

The fatty lipomas are undoubtedly not serious but nonetheless should have been aspirated & analyzed to make sure.

I simply don't believe this vet.  Absolutely appalling.  You sound like a good & caring owner so I'll just beg you to change vets.
Delores