sores and scratching

[leeanne]

My 11 month old female boxer has been getting sores on her upper lips and and her lower jaw (chin), they look like red raised bumps and sometimes bleed. They almost resemble cold sores on her upper lip. She also has little red bumps on her legs and she seems to scratch alot. She does not look like a happy dog at all, she is very mopey and does not seem interested in her food, although she has always been a VERY picky eater!! Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this??

[bruinsBoxers]

Boxers commonly get red bumps on their chin & lips , kind of like pimples . Most times they grow out of it . But it can be caused by bacteria staying on their face too long and especially in areas that may stay a bit wet .
You can try wiping down her face a few times a day to dry it off .
What type of dish are you using ? Stainless steel works best as it does not hold bacteria .

As for the bumps on her legs it could be many things . Bug bites or allergies . Both can cause red bumps with itching .
You may want to try and switch her kibble to grain free . Many dogs have allergic reactions to the grains found in most dog foods . Or even try raw feeding , no grains and you control exactly what she is eating.

[Doreen]

One of my past boxers used to get those. Vet told me to use wipes on that area as you would for acne to kill the bacteria.

[leeanne]

Thanks for your reply Doreen!! I will try that.

[leeanne]

I guess I will also try switching her food, she doesn't seem very interested in the dry kibble anyway. Feeding her is quite a challenge, she doesn't seem to like anything we have given her.

[Dragon]

Originally Posted by leeanne

I guess I will also try switching her food, she doesn't seem very interested in the dry kibble anyway. Feeding her is quite a challenge, she doesn't seem to like anything we have given her.

You cna look on here for different types of kibbles and reccomendations.

If they still seem like fussy eaters you can add a spoonful of plain yogurt... or an egg... or a spoonful of peanut butter to your kibble and they will chow down big time.

[leeanne]

Thanks I will also try your suggestion!!!

[Marylou Mader]

One more thing, if you offer water in a plastic bowl, that can cause this problem as well, use a stainless steel bowl.

bacteria grows very fast in plastic bowls, it grows much slower in the stainless steel.

I mean fast, even though you offer fresh clean water daily, it only takes a couple of hours to grow bacteria...

[leeanne]

Her bowls are all stainless steel. These bumps are itchy for her as she has been scratching alot, to the point of making them bleed. She also has the red bumps in her "armpit" area and some down her legs.

[Erin251]

it does sound like allergies. what kind of food does she get right now?