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	Clumber Spaniel who hates visiting the Vet Q: We have a 3 year old Clumber Spaniel who has very pink skin. He scratches constantly. He is on a programme all year to keep away fleas so we do not think it is that. From time to time he has what seems to be a lumpy area(s), this can be on the back of his head or the base of his spine, which turns out to be a batch of dried bits which are very dark and just come away. Is there any lotion or cream that I can buy to help him and if there is where can I get it without it being prescribed by a vet? He is a very nervous dog. Does not like people until he is quite sure about them - which often takes weeks. He hates to visit the vet, always empties his anal glands completely and has to be muzzled during the time he is there so I cannot subject him to long periods at the vet because it causes him so much distress. On his last visit the vet thought she detected a mild heart murmur which will have to be looked into at some point. Any ideas on why he is so nervous? His last visit to the vet was quite recent. He had been screaming for a day or so very loudly - once when he crawled under a table, once when we think he was getting off of a chair although we did not actually witness that, and once when he was walking along on the lead. The vet could find no reason for that and she checked him very thoroughly. She said if there was anything wrong with his spine he would have shouted during her examination but he did not. The only thing she though may be problematical but she did not think was anything at the time was the knee joint on one of his back legs. But since then, since he first started shouting, he has changed character very noticeably. He no longer jumps merrily onto the bed. He does not bounce up the stairs anymore, just walks up very carefully. He does not jump up on the small dwarf walls during his walks as he always used to but he still rolls quite happily in the grass and runs off with other dogs without any apparent problem. Why do you think this is? Sorry to be so long-winded but it is a worrying situation and we cannot get any answers. R & I Sutton

A: I am sorry to hear your dog is having problems. Firstly, the skin condition. From what you have said you have in place a good flea control programme, which hopefully eliminates fleas as the cause. If he is very itchy all the time, with scaling as you describe, there is certainly a need to look into this, which will unfortunately require time at the vets. There are many different reasons for dogs to become itchy, and it will probably require more than a cream or lotion to sort this out. If you explain to your practice that your dog's temperament precludes any long visits, they may be able to accommodate you by having you consult with the vet without the dog present, at least initially, as a lot of information needs to be gained by the vet before an examination takes place. This will hopefully mean he only needs to be in the consulting room for a brief time. A lot of dogs do not enjoy visiting the vet, it may be that his nervousness has been exacerbated by the need to muzzle him for examination each time, reinforcing his mistrust. Perhaps you could take him to the vets a few times without actually having a consultation, so he can get used to coming and going in a calmer manner? The recent problem with his mobility does sound as though he is suffering from a degree of stiffness or pain, if he is reluctant to jump and seems to walk carefully rather than run freely. There may be a problem with the spine or knee joints which wasn't obvious on examination, as he didn't seem to be in pain at the time. I'm afraid he will need to be checked over by the vet again! Hopefully this has helped a little,
Sarah Mark BA VetMB MRCVS
(Vet for PetPlanet)

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