I have just come back from my vet because although he has A LOT, two on the head of my Basset have started growing and I thought it was high time to get this sorted out, hopefully once and for all.   I've had the occasional hound with these, for no apparent reason - even siblings where one was covered with them (fast as we'd get some removed, others would appear until in the end, we only had them taken off if they grow too big, and in a difficult place), and her brother never had one. 

My vet did a fine needle aspirate collection on three and thankfully they were 'just cysts' - he checked under microscopic exam.   He is on a short course of antibiotics, but I'd love to know if anybody knows WHY these happen with some dogs, and not with others.   My vet said, as I know, Bassets are prone to these but again, why?

I have one of mine that gets them. Hers are usually less than pea size when I find them (Long thick double coat !) but I find a hot wet pad of cotton wool held over them for 10 minutes twice a day for a few days brings them to a head and hopefully they start to weep !! My vet showed me how to do it and only once have we had to resort to the vet lancing one. I never ever squeeze them though  as it is possible to cause an infection if the cyst is squeezed to hard and pops inside the skin. I usually use water as hot as I can stand to hold and a drop of hibiscrub in it too and if done 2 -3 times a day seems to sort them out OK. As long as you know what they are and have been shown what do you should be ok but if they don't raise a head then we get them checked out. I have been told they can be a sign of a lack of fatty acids in your dog's diet, most common with dogs fed a dry diet and a spoonful of coconut oil added to the diet may help. Also regular brushing with a stiff brush  to raise the oils in your dog's coat can help too.
Aileen

Tks Aileen.   I'll give it a try because although I'd hope he'd clean out the biggest, on his head, it's still there, big as ever.   I've tried gently squeezing it, in the hope the puncture from the needle would allow more of the matter to come out, without success. 

He's on a diet of fish and potato - Arden Grange Sensitive which he needs to keep his stools normal (he will go to colitis if stressed and was originally left with a sensitive tum, after the Giardia he had early on).  Perhaps I should try the coconut oil, much as my instinct tells me he doesn't need 'more' oil?

Any suggestions are more than welcome!

It's the essential fatty acids that the oil  provides and its something dogs cannot produce themselves and something that is not stored in the body.  Apparently these essential fatty acids help to keep sebum secretion at its optimal level and keep the cysts away. (it's all magic to me !)
Aileen

I'd love to know as my breed are prone to them, for years I had none even with relatives with them, but my current oldest is always getting them and I check her weekly for little ones that can be expressed and get no bigger, but she has had some needing AB's and one abscess. 

At nearly 13 she has not had to have any removed surgically.

Okay I am now armed with coconut oil (not exactly inexpensive in Morrisons so it had better work!) and Turmeric.   I need to know the quantities re the turmeric, to be added.   Mine have 2 meals a day so do I add to just one meal, daily .... ??

tumrice tablets 3 tablets per feed
tumrice powder good tablespoon.per feed
mine are on tumric tablets and me too

Thanks Grove- I picked up turmeric powder which may or may not have been a good idea!!   I can't see it lasting very long if feeding a tablespoon PER FEED to be honest.  He is a big boy - 35 kg at the most recent weigh-in but I rather doubt he's going to be impressed with that amount of powder on his food!

i mix tumric in with my lot working mix
if you are going to be feeding tumric long term i would buy loose turmic it comes in 1kg right up to 10kg i get mine on amazon
i only started taking it after it helped my friends old mare she now like young horse
tumric is great intri imflam etc
highly recomend itfor humans and four legged

Many dogs do not like the taste of Turmeric, so I would start off with a small amount and build up. My 17.5 kilo boy has it daily for internal problems, and I have kept his dose at half a teaspoonful, though he probably should be on a full teaspoonful. I also add some black pepper which is supposed to increase the potency. Some people use it by making it into a gravy, or preparing a 'Golden Paste', (haven't done this myself, but the recipes are online). I have found the cheapest way to buy it is from an Indian supermarket, where it is sometimes called Haldi.

just thought my old pointer 27kg he weights less than your boy
another two good herbs to feed are devils cwaly and rosehip
again as carol c said mix it in bit at time
lord h was bit funny when i started to give him bute x tumric and rosehip he would eat round suplements now he eats his all up

Coconut oil needs to be virgin organic cold pressed.aldi have it atm.not the one u use for skin hair etc. It's to processed .The turmeric needs to have at least 3 % circumnavigate in it to be effective haldi is a good one but the usa ones in the shelf bars supermarkets  own dint usually have enough circumin or don't have it marked. Black pepper to add after you have mixed the other parts together .Some say heating it helps as in golden paste helps release the necessary parts. If the dog starts smelling of cats wee add some ceylon cinnamon not ordinary cinnamon and agreed start with small amounts and see how  dog reacts not all are happy with it and some can have upset tummy . The other option is salmon oil for efa .I use efa marine ftom boots online as suggested by my vet as it's cheaper but the same as vet equuvalent.fish oil actually is better if u are looking to add efa rather than cocnut which is primarily  medium chain fatty acids

Having smelt the turmeric, I only put less than a teaspoon in his tea just now.   The coconut oil is as suggested (virgin organic cold pressed) however - and tastes pretty good.   But again I only added a small amount.   As this lad is prone to Colitis, I'm treading very carefully with him.   He's still on antibotics after the fine needle treatment on Monday and so I have him on a little natural yogurt ....... quite a confusion of tastes there and he did a double take before tucking in!!    I may well just go with the coconut oil, for now.

Thanks for the help!

how did your boy get on with tumaric and coconut oil in his feeds??

So far, okay but I only gave him a very small amount of the tumaric and probably won't give him any more.   As said, he did do a double take with his second meal yesterday when I added both.    I'm loath to risk a repeat of the Colitis he had recently to be honest.    I will use the coconut oil however.   I have to admit not being totally into 'alternative meds' so he (I) may have to live with his two masses on his head - 3 occiputs not just the one, unless the biggest gets really big in which case it will need surgery.    I was just hoping when I took him to see my vet on Monday, that he'd drain it at least, but he seemed more interested in making sure it was just a cyst and actually I thought it looked smaller at the time.

poor boy it did take mine couple days to get use to tumrice.rosehip devils claw in their feeds.i am more for homopathic remudys
my friends done lot studying into herbs supplaments
tumrice is totaly safe to use and wont upset tummys etc
i was like you not really into homopathic but now my old boy and i have been taking homopathic for over year i have total faitth in homopathic .homopathic totaly helped my friends old mare she was really bad soreness after 2yrs on homopathic remides and treatment she back been ridden and sound
never come acrose s

I am currently cooking a batch of bone broth and have added 2 heaped tbsp of turmeric and 1 heaped tbsp of ground black pepper to the pot along with one whole garlic bulb and a good glugg of apple cider vinegar. I will be letting it simmer all day and hopefully the pig ears will help it to solidify and turn in to jelly. I usually skim off the fat from the top as I try to keep it as low in fat as possible for the sake of my boy. He will refuse to eat entire meals if I add coconut oil or golden paste to his dinner. When added to bone broth it seems to go down without problem.

If you fancy a bit of a fiddle you can put the broth in to ice cube trays and add the oil after warming it to liquid on top - you then add a cube in meals. I have brand new paint trays (like the ones used in schools) with 6 rounds in them so I freeze digestive biscuit sized discs and give once a day.

ETA - my boy has a weeping seb. cyst on the base of his tail. I have had to cut all the hair surrounding it and been told to drain it whenever it fills and bursts and to keep it clean. No point in operating until he starts to bother it.

Feeding dogs turmeric .......

I was looking for an answer re feeding dogs paprika and found this ....

"There are several spices that have been reported to cause problems in dogs. These include turmeric, paprika, and anything containing capsaicin, including black pepper, red pepper, chili powder, and fresh peppers. Even if your doggie is convinced that it’s a Cajun, resist spicing up its dog food with any of these ingredients. "

And I have been trying turmeric and coconut oil to help with the seb.cysts on my hound!!!    Yoiks.    I have only been giving a tiny amount of turmeric because it smells strong which he doesn't much like.

But .........???