[Dailydrool] Sebaceous cysts, sebaceous tumors, and their kin

[Valerie]

Caveat: I am neither a veterinarian nor a physician. I have had experience with both, however (far more than I would have wished) on these sebaceous doohickeys in both dogs and people.

first, sebaceous cysts. a cyst is like a little balloon with a skin that fills us with something. Often the something is a clear fluid; sometimes it is pus or blood; occasionally it is even really weird stuff like hair or fingernail material (ick). sebaceous cysts can be drained and that may or may not solve the problem rindefinitely. It may not because the balloon skin is still there if you just drain it, so the balloon skin may fill up again with Iiquid, etc., eventually.  when sebaceous cysts are surgically removed, the surgeon cuts out the balloon skin so there's no empty sac left to fill up again. In most locations, that is not a difficult procedure, but dogs'tails are difficult, so the recommendation is usually drain as necessary.

and then there are sebaceous tumors, which are common in older dogs (over 8) and in certain breeds (Basset hounds being one of these). sebaceous tumors are almost always benign,though there is one rare cancerous type. Vets can tell the kind with a simple needle aspiration. sebaceous tumors look like little (and sometimes not so little) pink cauliflowers growing up out of the dog's skin. they can be surgically removed, though my vet says 'don't bother unless they are impeding motion' once they are determined to be benign, because they generally grow back. Our dear hound Bo has a positive colony of these on his belly, and one on his head. He looks a bit Like the 'elephant man-dog' if seen from below. These don't seem to bother him much. at times they seem a little puffy on the sides. Gently massaging them releases excess liquid and keratin and reduces their size and is not harmful to the dog.

I as a person have been prone from time to time to occasional carbuncles (mega-boils/ monster sebaceous cysts) on my back and have had them both drained and surgically removed as needed, and can attest to the fact that surgical removal is a permanent solution, but draining also can provide a solution for years at a time, though they may reoccur with this remedy.

Hope this helps. Val