In October of 2007, I received one of the best gifts from my husband. My husband found a local breeder that had a littler of miniature schnauzers. I had done some research on the breed and had decided that if we were to ever get another dog, I wanted it to be a white miniature schnauzer. That October, Dolly became a part of our family. She had oversized ears, big brown eyes, oversized ears, and a spunky demeanor. She immediately stole my heart. Dolly has been a very healthy schnauzer, however, she began showing signs of a genetic skin disorder when she turned two years of age. At the first sign of this disorder, I feared the worst. The bumps on her back were black and scabby and resembled skin cancer.
After doing a ton of research on her breed and various skin disorders including cancer, it was determined that she suffered from a fairly common skin disorder, Schnauzer Comedone Syndrome. This occurs when skin cells and oil block hair follicles and cause blackheads. The bumps normally occur along the dog’s back but can occur on ears, tails, legs, genitals, and other places. At first these “bumps” seemed to bother me more than Dolly, however, if they would get aggravated, they would fill with fowl-smelling pus, and become extremely bothersome to her. Though she didn’t enjoy the experience, I began to pop the bumps and release the fowl-smelling pus. Once the pus was drained, I applied peroxide onto each area to avoid infection. I found that by doing this, it shortened the life of the bump and healed much faster than if I left the bumps alone. This also caused significantly less scarring on her skin than when I would let them heal on their own. As a matter of fact, on several occasions I found that leaving them alone made the bumps much larger and caused large scars.
Based on the research I conducted, I adjusted several elements in Dolly’s lifestyle. I immediately changed her diet. I began giving her skin/coat vitamins for pets from my local Petsmart. These have a good amount of Omega-3 and other fish oils which promote healthy skin and coat. I purchased a new brand of dog food called Authority, which is made with real Lamb. It does not have any corn or bi-products that most other dog foods are made of which some dogs can have allergic reactions to. I also began monitoring her “treat” intake. I noticed that when I would give her specific treats, a couple of days later she would have bad breakouts. I began bathing her every two weeks, using an oatmeal shampoo to help soothe her skin. Whether or not I used a conditioner did not seem to make a difference, however, brushing her at least once a week seemed to be a very important part of keeping new scaly patches from becoming full-fledged bumps. I stopped having the groomer “buzz” her back and have since kept her hair slightly longer which seemed to keep the bumps from getting irritated and infected and hid the unsightly scars all along her back. The last element I changed was her sunlight intake. I began taking her for more frequent walks and getting her outside in the sun as much as possible. This caused a significant improvement in her skin.
Today, Dolly is three years old and has not had a breakout in about eight months. Lately, I have experimented with various treats and it seems that her condition was not heavily related to her diet. I don’t give her the skin/coat vitamins anymore either. The most prominent factor in maintaining Dolly’s healthy skin and coat was ensuring she receive a good amount of sunlight on a daily basis. Considering Dolly’s significant improvement, I refuse to change her food, keep her hair length at about ½ inch, and still use the oatmeal shampoo to help with the after-bath dander. Pink scars and tiny apricot colored fur patches are all that’s left of the bumps these days, however she does get the beginnings of the bumps, which are small scaly patches of skin that flake right off. I have noticed that the scaly patches of skin increase in the winter months, most likely because of the decrease in sunlight.
Though there is no cure for these bumps, an overall healthy lifestyle has made Dolly a very happy schnauzer. We learned how to manage her skin condition together as she had different reactions to different things I tried. As every dog is different and may have varying reactions, I recommend that when you alter an element in your dog’s lifestyle; give it plenty of time to truly observe the dog’s reaction. Though I have been successful in the many methods I tried, there are many products that are available online or through your veterinarian that I have heard can have a positive effect on schnauzer bumps. All you can do is help manage this skin condition to ensure a comfortable life for your schnauzer. Once these bumps are under control, you and your schnauzer will be much happier!
