[mogrann]

Owen's chin has broken out in what appears to be pimples. They are tender to touch and have me a bit concerned as they are growing in clusters.They are a fair size too so that you can see them without straining to look for them. He has one of them scratched at and it is scabbed over.

Most of you know this but still want to mention it as it affects his chin area. Owen does have allergies and we have issues with the chin. He is on a reactine a day (per the vet) and has a weekly bath with his medicated shampoo(per the vet). His food has not changed, though a bit ago we did try the elk bone and did have to take it from him as his chin and paws started getting red and itchy. Which the vet has told us is a sign of allergies, so he gets no more. That was last week that we took it from him.

I have asked about pimples before but wanted to ask due to them growing in clusters. Is it pimples? Can we handle this at home? Does he need to see the vet?

[shazamataz]

It does sound like pimples. Have you tried squeezing any of them? That would be a surefire way to tell.

They are pretty common in younger dogs, some breeds are more prone than others and the chin is the most common place for them to appear.

There are a few home remedies to try before you race off to the vet.
You might remember I have a Chinese Crested, they get pimples over their whole body when they are going through doggy puberty, I used human pimple washes on him and it cleared them up really well. Being on the chin you will have to be careful he doesn't get any in his mouth, but just a quick scrub and rinse daily should be enough to help get rid of them.
Listerine mouth wash is another alternative, just dab it on a few times a day, it's an antibacterial and it helps dry them out.
Follow up with a moisturizer to make sure the skin doesn't get irritated and itchy, oatmeal based ones are good as they are very soothing.
If they are severe and causing a lot of pain then I would talk to your vet, but if they are only bothering him mildly I would try the home remedies first.

[mogrann]

Thank you Shaz.

[paleophlatus]

Most pimples like this are of a Staphylococcus nature, which are normal bacterial inhabitants of the skin. Any drop in the immune system's guard and things like this are apt to crop up. Ordinarily no problem, but persistent appearances or increases in size and scope may suggest a revision of that, and may suggest some stronger antibacterial treatment than just shampoo. Curiosity as to just what 'bug' it is can be satisfied with a culture of one of the pimple discharges.

Another feature of skin bacteria is the role of control by other resident bacterial. Often, the complete family of skin organisms helps keep each other under control, and the reduction of the population of some bacteria may allow an other to overgrow and become a nuisance. Different bacteria have different sensitivities to antibacterial agents, and Staph can be fairly resistant to meds, so it tends to remain when others have been killed off. The animal's body may have also failed to mount an effective immunity to Staph.

It goes without saying to keep your vet apprised of changes, good or bad, with this.

[mogrann]

Ty Paleophlatus. I will try Shaz's suggestion and if it does not improve or worsens I will take him to the vet. I will also mention it to the vet regardless on what happens.