Skin – Minor Drainage Circuit
Skin drainage occurred as the final phase, yet I consider it essential.
In earlier periods, the skin was repeatedly overloaded by aggressive topical treatments, baths, and frequent handling, which triggered hypersensitive reactions – even pain.
The current skin drainage differed in several key ways:
- No itching occurred, confirming the process was neither allergic nor acutely inflammatory.
- Hair loss happened diffusely or along visible lines, often combined with a subtle surface oil that appeared only after close observation.
- Extrudate (surface discharge) did not appear spontaneously, but only after release – often following rest, self-initiated rubbing on fabric, or sun-warming of the area.
- Affected skin was warm, moist, or slightly tacky – but without pus or open wounds.
- Local alopecia occurred at drainage points, later followed by regrowth with different texture – softer, often darker.
- The dog set the cleansing rhythm – cleaning took place only after his signal, usually via static posture or gentle friction. Any extra intervention would worsen the state.
- After skin drainage, release followed – deep sleep, and often a change in behavior, such as seeking contact or needing complete calm.
The key is not to touch or disturb skin chimneys.
Unnecessary pressure can trigger inflammation.
No standard topical treatments were used, unlike during previous dermatological therapy.
Only warm, boiled water was applied locally – and only when the dog signaled for it.
What Would Typically Follow in Veterinary Practice::
The standard veterinary approach would include:
- skin swab / cytology,
- corticosteroid or antibiotic ointment,
- possible systemic treatment (antibiotics / corticosteroids / occlusive cream),
- recommended bathing protocol (e.g. Malaseb, chlorhexidine-based shampoos).
If the discharge intensified or lesions spread, the next steps would typically include biopsy, cytology, bacterial culture, and potentially surgical intervention.
Phases of Healing Coat
Skin Chimneys and Drainage as the Body's Tool
In Chicco's case, a recurring phenomenon was observed – so-called skin chimneys:
Lesions from which the body actively expelled inflammatory material.
These chimneys appeared in various locations: at the withers, along the spine, near the testicles, on the paws, and sometimes even in the ears.
They were not random eruptions, but structured exits that formed when the dog was in inflammation or under heavy internal strain.
From a behavioral perspective, the dog often repositioned himself to either expose or protect the affected area.
Some exits opened at night, others after bathing or physical release.
Before opening, signs such as trembling, tension, body rotation – or sometimes nothing at all – could be observed.
Once the content was released (pus, yellowish or greenish fluid, occasionally blood), visible calm followed: the dog changed position, fell asleep, or relocated.
Skin drainage often occurred after blockage in other exits – such as the intestines or bladder.
The body found its own way.
This process was natural, yet often misunderstood and suppressed in standard veterinary practice.
Repeated bathing, inappropriate handling, or treatment that ignored the body's self-regulation led in Chicco's case to worsening or new drainage points elsewhere.
Some lesions were strategic points – such as the area of ear tension, the nasal fold, or the subcaudal pit.
Others were responses to system overload – furuncles on paws, chimneys on the cheeks, around the ears, at the withers.
Skin chimneys are evidence that the body has its own path of cleansing – if we don't get in the way.
The ABC of Skin Chimneys
In hypersensitive dogs like Chicco, the skin plays a key role in the process of drainage and release of inflammatory material.
The organism creates its own exit points – so-called skin chimneys – through which it expels accumulated content (pus, lymph, sebum, blood, toxins).
This typology illustrates 9 different forms of chimneys based on developmental phase, depth, tissue reaction, and distribution of tension.
Chimneys may appear as single points, in clusters, or as a response to blocked exits elsewhere in the body.
📎 Illustrated materials are available for the professional community or upon request.
Not everything needs to be public to have power.
The body speaks its own language – and this alphabet is just the entry point.
Type A – Chimney (Acute Phase)
A small, sharply defined lesion with a visible exit point.
It may rupture or release pus. Usually very painful, often associated with high internal pressure and trembling.
A rapid discharge is typically followed by relief.
Type B – Chimney (Pressure Phase)
A larger lesion with pronounced central pressure and peripheral redness.
The body gathers material under the skin, but the exit is still blocked.
It often opens during position changes or sleep.
Type C – Chimney (Release Phase)
A lesion with partially discharged content.
Pressure is decreasing, inflammation is subsiding.
Chicco typically relocates calmly, and the area is no longer painful.
Type D – Chimney (Diffuse Phase)
A diffuse lesion with spread-out redness and no clear center.
Indicates mild but widespread inflammation.
May represent lymphatic toxin release or subclinical discharge.
Type E – Chimney (Post-Release Phase)
A site where drainage has already occurred.
May appear dry, flaky, or covered with a scab.
Indicates a successful drainage process.
Often associated with local regenerative activity.
Type F – Chimney (Subcutaneous Deposit)
A cluster of deep-seated material with no visible exit.
Presents as tension or a slight depression under the skin.
May open later – often after physical activity or bathing.
Type G – Chimney (Hyperpigmentation)
A healed or inactive lesion with darker skin pigmentation.
Remains as a trace of repeated inflammatory activity.
Indicates chronic strain in the affected area.
Typ H – Komín (zjazvené ložisko)
An old exit path the body used repeatedly to release material.
The skin appears deformed, thickened, or scarred.
This chimney may become reactivated under renewed stress.
Type I – Chimney (Cluster)
A cluster of multiple drainage points in one area.
Indicates broader systemic pressure or multiple simultaneous exits.
Commonly appears between toes, at the withers, on the thighs, or around the ears.