Why isn't my Labrador's leg infection getting better with medication?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Romeo! Labs are very allergic breeds. It is likely that Romeo has allergies to his food, the environment or has atopy. I would recommend testing for demodex or putting him on Nexgard, Bravecto or Simparica to cover for the possibility of demodex mites. I would them recommend a skin cytology to see if the infection is bacterial and or yeast in nature. Then put him on ORAL antibiotic or anti-fungals for a minimum of 3 weeks, likely longer. He also, if licking his feet, should be put on something to decrease the itch like apoquel or cytopoint. Most dogs with allergies need to be on multiple medications: antihistamines long term, apoquel long term, Omega 3 fatty acids, and a novel protein diet. I recommend changing his food to a non chicken based diet. Try Venison, Beef, lamb, pork, all fish or duck. You need to give the diet 2-3 months and he can not be given any other types of food or treats. I hope this helps and I wish Romeo the very best!

I am sorry to hear about your dog. If this is not improving with topical medication he may need to be switched to oral/systemic medications as the problem may be deeper under the skin than topical meds can penetrate. I would let your vet know he is not improving. Occasionally we may need to do testing such as cultures or biopsy in some cases that don’t improve with traditional treatments.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dudley. It can take a while for antibiotics to make a difference. I would continue with the medication as prescribed. If you have seen absolutely no improvement by tomorrow, then he should see his veterinarian again. There can be other causes for a swollen leg aside from infection. Vasculitis, for example, is possible. However, it is always important to start antibiotics first as other medications could make an infection worse if not treated. These can be challenging cases! I hope this information helps!

Oh my. Poor guy. This infection is severe. I would have cultures taken of this skin immediately if the broad spectrum antibiotics that your vet gave aren't working. I would also consider getting biopsies of this thing. The area may need surgical debridement as well, because there is some diseased and necrotic (dead) tissue there that will prevent this from healing well if it isn't removed. I am so sorry your pet has such an aggressive skin condition. This certainly will need further medical management from your vet for sure. With the suggestions above, you should be able to get a better handle on this thing. Best of luck and take care!

Hi. If she isnt getting better on the treatment, I would recommend getting her back in to see your veterinarian. It could be that it isnt a skin infection. It could be an autoimmune condition or even a type of skin cancer. I would recommend a biopsy as well as the recheck

Hi there and thanks for posting. I am sorry to hear the wound doesn't look like it is healing well. Bruno may need the wound bandaged and/or given antibiotics. Sometimes if a wound is red and swollen it means it may be infected. I would recommend asking Bruno's veterinarian to take a look at the wound and see if antibiotics may be an option for Bruno to help it heal.

Anytime a young dog has skin issues I would make sure to apply flea prevention every 30d ays. Also I would have your vet do a skin scrape to look for skin mites. I am not sure about India but in the united states demodex and scabies are quite common. IF she does have a skin mite the above treatment will not help the skin improve. I would recommend taking her back tot he vet for a re check. hope this helps!