My 11 year old yellow lab has been having a problem with swelling in
her forehead. When the vet did a cystology of the lump, it contained
histene cells and I was told it was an allergic reaction. Some days she
is fine and then all of a sudden I notice a large lump in the area of
her forehead over her left eye. Sometimes the eye lid droops to the
point of looking like the eye is partially closed. It doesn't happen
everyday, but sometimes the swelling lasts more than 24 hours,
disappears and then happens again a day or two later. I have tried
working with her diet and excluding some foods. Problems is this is a
nose to the ground lab and tongue follows, so even out for a walk or on
her line she may eat grass or whatever. We have bunnies and a flock of
chickens. The dog is always eager to get rabbit droppings or fur where
we groom them ( some of them are angora) and I have noticed that she
gets the swelling at times after she got some rabbit food pellets, too,
but it's never that definite that that was the trigger. It may be more
that one thing causing the allergy.
One day my daughter gave her a piece of cheese and within an hour the
spot on her head was huge - no more cheese. I even suspect carrots.
This all started in July, soon after she had lyme disease and was
treated and also soon after her teeth were cleaned.
She has also had yeast ear infections frequently, but has been much
better since this whole head issue started. She now eats Hills Beef
Nature's Best, but I'm questioning some of the ingredients (carrot and
chicken meal) and am unsure if I should change foods yet again. She had
had duck and sweet potato, white fish & sweet potato - started having
diarrhea and refused to eat it, Nutro's Lamb and Rice over the last
year with this latter being her regular food before all this happened.
She seems fine otherwise, but does like to rub the spot in the snow, so
it must itch. The vet had me try benadryl and also trimin. and we tried
a little Zyrtec. Nothing helped much, certainly it didn't go away
completely.
We also have two cats, who adore her and they rub up against her face
all the time. The real mystrey is why only one side of her forehead
swells, although it does look at times like it has traveled to the
middle some? And why is it happening some days more than others, and
why in the middle of some days when she hasn't been out?
I hate to keep changing her diet - she sheds terribly every time I do
and also I'm running out of ideas. It doesn't seem to really be her
food anyway, since it's sporadic, both in degree and timing and she has
the same food everyday. We were going to try a perscription food, but
since she will grab anything, even wild bunny poop, it didn't worth it,
since there isn't a good way to eliminate everything else.
I'm hoping to hear that someone else has seen this. The vet only found
one other person with a similar problem, oddly enough also a similar
scenario, but they too didn't have any real leads. Anyone out there
have any ideas?
Thanks.

Have you had the lump biopsied again. I would have it done more than once
to rule out mast cell cancer. What you describe is exactly how a mast cell
cancer behaves. Mast cells usually appear as bumps under the skin anywhere
on a dog and they can come and go but they never really leave. What really
has me suspicious is that your vet says the bump had histine cells which is
also a major part of mast cell cancer. Please get it checked again just to
be sure.

I'm not saying that it can't be food related it certainly seems like it
since you notice certain foods in particular set it off. But usually food
allergies manifest themselves in more than one place and usually they
involve excessive scratching and itching all over.

Celeste

wrote in message
oups.com...
My 11 year old yellow lab has been having a problem with swelling in
her forehead. When the vet did a cystology of the lump, it contained
histene cells and I was told it was an allergic reaction. Some days she
is fine and then all of a sudden I notice a large lump in the area of
her forehead over her left eye. Sometimes the eye lid droops to the
point of looking like the eye is partially closed. It doesn't happen
everyday, but sometimes the swelling lasts more than 24 hours,
disappears and then happens again a day or two later. I have tried
working with her diet and excluding some foods. Problems is this is a
nose to the ground lab and tongue follows, so even out for a walk or on
her line she may eat grass or whatever. We have bunnies and a flock of
chickens. The dog is always eager to get rabbit droppings or fur where
we groom them ( some of them are angora) and I have noticed that she
gets the swelling at times after she got some rabbit food pellets, too,
but it's never that definite that that was the trigger. It may be more
that one thing causing the allergy.
One day my daughter gave her a piece of cheese and within an hour the
spot on her head was huge - no more cheese. I even suspect carrots.
This all started in July, soon after she had lyme disease and was
treated and also soon after her teeth were cleaned.
She has also had yeast ear infections frequently, but has been much
better since this whole head issue started. She now eats Hills Beef
Nature's Best, but I'm questioning some of the ingredients (carrot and
chicken meal) and am unsure if I should change foods yet again. She had
had duck and sweet potato, white fish & sweet potato - started having
diarrhea and refused to eat it, Nutro's Lamb and Rice over the last
year with this latter being her regular food before all this happened.
She seems fine otherwise, but does like to rub the spot in the snow, so
it must itch. The vet had me try benadryl and also trimin. and we tried
a little Zyrtec. Nothing helped much, certainly it didn't go away
completely.
We also have two cats, who adore her and they rub up against her face
all the time. The real mystrey is why only one side of her forehead
swells, although it does look at times like it has traveled to the
middle some? And why is it happening some days more than others, and
why in the middle of some days when she hasn't been out?
I hate to keep changing her diet - she sheds terribly every time I do
and also I'm running out of ideas. It doesn't seem to really be her
food anyway, since it's sporadic, both in degree and timing and she has
the same food everyday. We were going to try a perscription food, but
since she will grab anything, even wild bunny poop, it didn't worth it,
since there isn't a good way to eliminate everything else.
I'm hoping to hear that someone else has seen this. The vet only found
one other person with a similar problem, oddly enough also a similar
scenario, but they too didn't have any real leads. Anyone out there
have any ideas?
Thanks.