Severe Acne on my 10 month old Rottweiler

by Sharon
(UK )

Hello

My male 10 month old has a terrible chin, its going onto his lips as well, we have changed his bowls from plastic to stainless steel. He is otherwise healthy as an ox, it gives him no trouble except when we clean his chin with the salt water.

He eats the best dry food with gravy I make for him. He eats cooked liver and mashed potato to. I never give him chocolate or anything sugary.

He was the runt of the litter and very small compared to his brothers and sisters, he is now though one of the biggest so we have no issues with his weight.

Is there anything you can suggest for Sunny he really is a sweet giant.

Also just another question, a friend of mine had a Rottie that turned bad even though she treated her so nicely, one day she just savaged someone for no reason… if our Sunny would turn nasty would we have seen anything by now? Should I start to muzzle him? He really is big and daft and jumps out of his skin at a crisp wrapper.

Any advice so welcome.

Sharon

Hi Sharon
In reply to your first question, I’d really recommend that you take Sunny to your veterinarian as he may need some type of medication to treat the acne on his chin.

There are a variety of reasons for this type of rash and it could be a viral or fungal infection rather than a reaction to his bowls etc. Your vet will be able to figure out what’s causing it and hopefully treat it successfully. Sunny would probably feel happier if his chin was zit free 🙂

As for your second question, it’s really impossible to give you a definitive, set-in-stone answer about a temperament issue, but I would say that although it may seem as though an incident of the type you mention with your friends dog comes ‘out of the blue’ this is rarely accurate.

There are usually warning signs if the problem stems from poor temperament or breeding (upbringing plays a big role, but basic genetic temperament plays a bigger one!), and treating a dog well can’t always correct a basically unsound personality.

If it happens as a reaction to an event or ‘trigger’, such as being teased, being scared, being cornered or trapped, being in pain (even if no-one else realizes it) or even as a result of a huge surge of ‘prey drive’ , again there’s often warning in the dog’s body language before the trouble starts.

Of course, I don’t know the situation you’re talking about, and OCCASIONALLY a dog does act totally out of character with no warning, but it is extremely, extremely rare.

I’ve owned, raised and trained Rottweilers for decades and have never had a real problem with any of my puppies or dogs, or know anyone who has. I certainly wouldn’t expect aggression or temperament problems just because a pup is a Rottweiler, that’s just buying into the misinformation.

Obviously these are big, strong dogs and they can be stubborn and willful at times, but a well-bred Rottie pup who has been raised with love and attention, and of course loving discipline, is no more of a risk than any other pup of any other breed. Your Sunny sounds like a typical Rottie male and although he may be a bit challenging during his late adolescence (this is normal for any breed), he should grow up to be a happy, confident and friendly dog if you raise and train him the right way.

You might want to check out my Rottweiler Temperament page to get a better understanding of this breed and what to expect.

Hope this helps, I wish you the best of luck with him.

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Apr 17, 2012

Back from the Vets NEW
by: Sharon

Just an update, it is indeed canine acne. Vet prescribed a Chlorhex Scrub for his face and a course of penicillin for 2 weeks. Sunny is non fussed as usual. Had his weight checked and he is 35 kg.


Apr 10, 2012

Thanks NEW
by: Sharon

I can’t thank you enough for all your advice. He is booked in for vets tomorrow. I shall come back and let you know what it is.

As for my worry about him, I feel a lot more relaxed.


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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone