My dog's bloody pus sores are worsening. Why aren't vet meds working?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The photos you have provided are a bit blurry but I can tell that the skin is thickened and irritated. From your description, it sounds as though Cleo is battling a skin infection that could be secondary to a chronic allergy. Prednisone will help with the symptoms of the allergy but unfortunately long term use will lead to abnormal clinical signs from the steroids. I would recommend treating Cleo with oral antibiotics, antifungals alongside topical therapy. She may also be dealing with a condition known as Atopic Dermatitis, in which case will need specific treatment such as Atopica or Cytopoint. I would recommend using the below recommended products and discussing additional oral treatments with your vet other than steroids. I would also recommend having her skin scraped to check for skin mites. I hope this helps and that Cleo's skin improves! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected areas twice daily until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules 4. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent ***All of the above products can be found online quite easily*** These treatments above should not be to supplement veterinary care, they should be in addition to.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could be just an infection though I am suspicious that there is a growth underneath causing this. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. This is severe and no home remedies are expected to improve this. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello, I'm sorry to hear this about Juno. I think allergies are a really good rule out in this case, whether to food or environment. An extremely strict hypoallergenic food trial carried out for a minimum of eight weeks (ideally twelve) would rule out a food related problem. Environmental allergies to things like pollens, grasses, dust, etc may be more responsive to systemic allergy medications (oral tablets like Apoquel or injectable Cytopoint) or topical therapies like regular paw cleanings with medicated shampoos and mousses. Wiping down her paws after going outdoors with a clean damp cloth or hypoallergenic baby wipe may help as well. Due to the location of the sores on the paw pads themselves, auto immune disease could be possible though less common. A deep biopsy may be needed for diagnosis- a consult and diagnostics with an internal medicine specialist or dermatology specialist may be good next steps for working this up if your general practitioner veterinarian feels that allergy treatments have been exhausted. I hope this is helpful. Best of luck getting answers and relief for Juno.

Lesions like this can be related to acne, folliculitis or allergies. Typically this does respond to antibiotics but if allergies are the issue, the condition can reoccur. Dogs breeds with heavy jowls/lips are more prone to this condition. Washing all the food/water dishes and all chew toys once a week can help. Your veterinarian may also carry medicated wipes the clean the area daily. Lastly, if allergies are suspected, Jax may need a special diet or even blood testing to determine the offending allergen. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Oh my. Poor girl. This doesn't sound like your typical hot spot/abscess due to trauma. There is an underlying factor here. Some possible causes are: an autoimmune skin condition, a resistant bacterial infection, skin cancer, or a mite infection with subsequent skin infections. I would highly recommend starting with a skin biopsy, which will give you a lot of information on the underlying cause and what treatment is needed. A skin bacterial culture should also be considered to determine if there is a resitant bacteria growing on Cali's skin that is not susceptible to the antibiotics tried so far. After these tests are done we should have a good idea or what we are dealing with and what treatment will likely resolve it. Best of luck with Cali and her skin woes. I hope things clear up soon!

There are a lot of things that could be causing this appearance to the skin, and it may not be easy or cheap to figure it out. I would recommend that you keep working with the vet. Baseline blood work, thyroid hormone, testing for Cushing's disease, skin biopsies, food trials, flea preventatives, etc may be needed.

Causes include infection, inflammation, periodontal disease and possibly autoimmune disease. Keep an eye on her and if she is rubbing, place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further rubbing or trauma. Ideally, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. Infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics. PeriodontaI disease will need to be addressed with a complete dental cleaning. If necessary, your vet can biopsy the area to collect samples for pathology.