Freya developed a disc shaped cyst on her shoulder in 2021, reviewed during her regular vet checks. Each time the vet felt the cyst to assess its consistency and attachment to the underlying tissues. They needed to determine whether it was fluid-filled or solid, and whether it was sebaceous. We were advised that, although flat and solid, it was a common sebaceous cyst so nothing to worry about. 

A punctured cyst

Then one day, an exuberant Freya playing with her dragon, ran full pelt and caught her shoulder on the edge of our glass table. Result? A punctured cyst. As it was Saturday, we bathed it with previously boiled water, popped on antiseptic cream and swathed an unimpressed Freya in bandage. We also gave her Rheumocam to relieve any pain. I called the vet first thing on Monday morning and dragged a very reluctant Freya into the surgery (she loathes vet visits).

A trip to the vets

The vet shaved the area and I’m not exaggerating when I say she ‘popped’ the contents of the wound with absolute pleasure, regaling it was such a satisfying part of her job. The vet then explained any dog can develop sebaceous cysts, but cockapoos and cocker spaniels seem to be genetically predisposed to bumps and lumps. Although she’d extracted the contents of the cyst, she hadn’t actually removed it and cautioned it may return to the surface.

Changing fur colour

So, all ends well. However, the most bizarre aspect of it all was when Freya’s fur began to grow back, it was the colour and texture of her mother’s, a golden cocker spaniel shown below (Dad is a white poodle). As Freya’s fur is primarily poodle, it led to some amusing comments from passers by on our walks.

I was curious to understand why this happened. It seemed to be related to the cyst injury rather than the shaving. However, sometime after this, Frankie leapt over barbed-wire, resulting in surgery and stitches. She was also shaved, and even though her trauma seemed more dramatic, her fur grew back the same colour and texture as before.

Cause of fur colour change

The only consistent explanation I found was an extract from Figo Pet Insurance blog dated April 2021:

“Another potential cause of colour change is traumatic injury or surgery. When dogs heal from a skin wound, often the fur that regrows during healing is darker than the original colour. This occurs because melanin surges to the site to heal and repair the lost tissue. The result is hyperpigmented fur in the affected area; this only affects the area affected by trauma, not the animal’s full coat.”

Naturally, any unusual lump or bump we discover on our dogs, means a trip to the vet. Although sebaceous cysts are usually benign (non-cancerous), they can be malignant tumours. In our case the vet reassured us it was nothing to worry about and they’d keep an eye on it; any doubt and they would aspirate to take a sample of the cyst’s contents to determine whether it was ‘sinister’, followed by a biopsy to establish the exact nature of the lump.