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My Boxer has acne under his chin and it makes me feel bad to see him scratch away at it. I am using the gel the Vet prescribed, will the acne scars heal? And will they be visible after they heal?
Overview
Acne is common in some dog breeds, the Boxer included. There are steps that you can take to solve the problem and to help to prevent scarring.
Making Sure it is Acne
It is important that your vet take the proper actions to ensure proper diagnoses. Other health issues can appear to be canine acne and should be ruled out.
If acne is indeed the correct diagnosis, your vet is on the mark. A gel containing Benzoyl Peroxide is what is used. An owner must take care to not use too much. Dogs are very sensitive to this and using more than is prescribed will not help, but will do more harm.
A topical antibiotic should be given to prevent secondary infections.
If swelling is moderate to extreme, topical steroids should be applied to help with that issue.
In chronic cases of canine acne with Boxers, (cases in which the acne will just not go away) long term antibiotics and steroids should be given, in pill form.
Scarring
This is a bit tricky, because the possibility of scarring will depend on how deep the acne is and how chronic it is. Do be sure to never "pop a pimple" as this will not only cause your Boxer a lot of pain but will open the area for infection. It is the secondary infections which would be the main cause that leads to any potential scarring. For this reason, either topical antibiotic solution or antibiotics medication in pill form for chronic cases should be given.
There has been some pleasing results with dog owners who use Calendula. This is a concentrate made from the Marigold flower. It has been shown to help with healing and scarring in many cases. You would find this at a Health Food Store, Vitamin Store, etc. You would put 6-7 drops into 1 ounce of warm water. Mix well. Using a cotton ball, apply this 2 times per day.
While canine acne is not uncommon in the Boxer breeder, it usually lessens and sometimes goes away completely as the dog grows and matures (just like people). Do please make sure that your vet checked for other possible causes and then do make sure to that antibiotics are being given. Lastly, using Calendula is very safe (when applied as stated above), it will most likely help with healing and should help with scarring.
Acne is common in some dog breeds, the Boxer included. There are steps that you can take to solve the problem and to help to prevent scarring.
Making Sure it is Acne
It is important that your vet take the proper actions to ensure proper diagnoses. Other health issues can appear to be canine acne and should be ruled out.
- Demodicosis can appear to be dog acne. This is a form a mange and a scrapping of the affected skin on your Boxer should be done. The material scraped off should be examined under a microscope to rule out this possibility.
- Ringworm. Ringworm is not actually worms. It is a skin infection. Small hairs should be plucked out and a culture will be run to rule this out.
- Puppy Strangles. This is not common, but should be ruled out. This looks very similar to canine acne. Dogs with this have a poor appetite and weakness. If your Boxer shows these symptoms and has not been checked for this, it is highly recommended.
If acne is indeed the correct diagnosis, your vet is on the mark. A gel containing Benzoyl Peroxide is what is used. An owner must take care to not use too much. Dogs are very sensitive to this and using more than is prescribed will not help, but will do more harm.
A topical antibiotic should be given to prevent secondary infections.
If swelling is moderate to extreme, topical steroids should be applied to help with that issue.
In chronic cases of canine acne with Boxers, (cases in which the acne will just not go away) long term antibiotics and steroids should be given, in pill form.
Scarring
This is a bit tricky, because the possibility of scarring will depend on how deep the acne is and how chronic it is. Do be sure to never "pop a pimple" as this will not only cause your Boxer a lot of pain but will open the area for infection. It is the secondary infections which would be the main cause that leads to any potential scarring. For this reason, either topical antibiotic solution or antibiotics medication in pill form for chronic cases should be given.
There has been some pleasing results with dog owners who use Calendula. This is a concentrate made from the Marigold flower. It has been shown to help with healing and scarring in many cases. You would find this at a Health Food Store, Vitamin Store, etc. You would put 6-7 drops into 1 ounce of warm water. Mix well. Using a cotton ball, apply this 2 times per day.
While canine acne is not uncommon in the Boxer breeder, it usually lessens and sometimes goes away completely as the dog grows and matures (just like people). Do please make sure that your vet checked for other possible causes and then do make sure to that antibiotics are being given. Lastly, using Calendula is very safe (when applied as stated above), it will most likely help with healing and should help with scarring.
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Copyright
1996-2010 contact@AllBoxerInfo. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
Copyright
1996-2010 contact@AllBoxerInfo. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
