Sally

Don't wait too long to get it checked out, as tumors can grow fast. My dog had a tumor, and she wasn't even 2 yet. Luckily it was benign. It will probably be fine, but it's best to find out. Good luck.

This happens with human babies too. I can't say I have checked for it with my dog. With my son, it took a fair while, maybe a couple of weeks to go away.

Wow, what a relief. Maybe she's not sick after all. I'll keep an eye on her, and if she seems well and everything, I might just get the vet to have a look when we go there next. I may get her groomed there, and ask them to have a peek . Thanks for your reassurance!

I've done some research. Apparently this can be caused by Alopecia x (also known as Black Skin Disease) which eventually results in hair loss, or hypothyroidism. I guess I'll be taking her to the vet. I think the vet must have jinxed us when he said that Maltese crosses are really healthy dogs, it seems to be one thing after another at the moment. Oh well, we love her, so we'll do our best for her.

Hi all, Recently I noticed my dog's tummy skin which is normally pink, had turned a dark, kind of grey colour. Now it's on most of her body, and has progressed to a dark grey/black colour. She has spent time sun baking lately. She is a white Maltese cross, and has recently had her hair cut short. Could it be from the sun???? The only other health issue she has had recently is a tumor at the top of her tail, which was benign, and went away on it's own. Has anyone else had this happen to their dog? Thanks!

wow it sounds like that was an expensive cyst. Great to hear your dog will be o.k.

The vet just called, he said the tumor is benign, and will go away on it's own. Yay! What a relief. He said that test showed it was partly necrotic, which means the tissue is dying as it regresses, and that's why she's been in so much pain. Poor thing. I'll keep up the pain killers, as it's still bothering her. Thanks for your support everyone.

My dog licked up a puddle of Round Up when I was weeding. I rang the poisons info line (meant for people). They said to give her some milk and call the vet. The vet said she should be fine, and she was.

Thanks Jodie. We're worried about her, and that fact that she's so distressed at the moment is stressing out the whole family. Are you talking about rescue remedy from the chemist? My Nan has some. Do you squirt it in their mouth? I'm going to call the vet first thing in the morning and see if I can get some pain killers or sedation for her. The lump is red raw. The vet scraped the top layer off the whole lump for some reason, and I think it gets rubbed every time she sits down. The poor thing is a wreck. I'm wondering if the fact that she's been in the pound before whe had her, and she's had a stressful life could have caused this tumor. I'll let you know how she gets on.

Just an update on my dog. After a week, and a course of antibiotics, her lump looked a bit bigger if anything. The vet did a biopsy on Friday, he said it is a tumor, but we need to wait for the lab results to know which kind. The vet had initially thought she was too young to have a tumor, but I guess she's unlucky. In the mean time, I've got a Buster collar on her, because she's constantly trying to get at her biopsy wound. She's so distressed with the collar on, that she's panting, but if I take it off, she's straight back at the wound. Does anyone know what I can do to help her distress?

Dru thankyou so much for your kind offer! I'm in Adelaide though. BittyMooPeeb your dog is SOOOOOOOOO cute!!!!!!!!!!! You do a great job with her hair. Thankyou for the advice.

Thanks for the info showdog. I've clipped my dog (with her on the washing machine) with my WAHL clippers for humans, and she was o.k with it. She did get a bit over it after a while, but with decent clippers, it should take less time. For a Maltese, can you use the clippers for their face? She didn't let me clip her face, but I had left that until last, when she'd had enough. I've tried using hairdressing scissors for her face, and I didn't really know what I was doing. She holds perfectly still though, even when I have trimmed her eyelashes (they grow a mile long and she needs them to be clipped so she can see better).

Hi all, I got my Maltese cross clipped at the groomer for the first time recently. I asked the girl not to clip her hair too short, as it's still pretty cold here at night, but now she needs clipping again after about 3 weeks. I'm thinking of buying some WAHL clippers, but don't know what length blade I need. I was thinking of leaving her hair 2.5cm long. What blade would that be? What blade do other Maltese owners use?

Poor Nan and Boss. I hope Nan feels a lot better in time.

I know she won't starve herself, but she just hates raw food. She lasted three days without eating when I tried the BARF, I'm worried how long she will go. The poor thing was so irritable because she was so hungry. I should be tough I know. She's still got this infected lump on her tail, so I'll try and build up the strength to be tough on her after she gets over that.