My dog has a lump after a porcupine quill. Is Cephalexin enough?

My biggest concern is that he could also have a bladder infection that is causing him to lick a lot and therefore also causing an infection on his penis. Without seeing him to determine exactly what is infected and whether or not the bladder is also infected, I cannot say that the cephalexin will work. I would strongly recommend to have him seen by your vet. If there is a urinary tract infection and it is left untreated, it could get much worse and even start to affect the kidneys. Your vet will be able to determine if the cephalexin you have will work or if you need something stronger. I would also put a cone collar on him to prevent him from licking it any more and causing more irritation. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better really soon!

It does look like a bacterial skin infection which could have started from a bite. Cephalexin is a very good skin antibiotic. I suggest you take Echo back to the vet tomorrow for a recheck. The vet may want to do a little biopsy to send to a lab to determine what is causing this lesion.

Yes, you can definitely give the oral antibiotics and apply the dermalone ointment at the same time. I would apply the ointment 2-3 times a day for at least the next 7 days and finish the entire course of antibiotic (give with food). Something else that can help is bathing every 2-3 days for 2 weeks with a medicated antibacterial shampoo such as Malaseb (available on chewy.com and petco.com), although your vet probably has a similar medicated shampoo that you can pick up from their office today leave the suds on for 5-10 min prior to rinse to allow the medicated shampoo bto have the greatest effect. Purchasing a probiotic from your vet as well can help prevent diarrhea from the cephalexin. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. At the high end of the dose of 60mg/kg for systemic infections, it would be approximately 436mg every 8 hours for that dose for a 16lb dog. A 500mg capsule will not likely cause any life threatening problems. You may see vomiting and diarrhea but this should resolve on its own. If you start to see neurological symptoms such as seizures or a wobbly gait, I would have a veterinarian examine KC. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help further.

It is a high dose (22 mg/kg is average although there is a range because of capsule sizes) and in some cases we would dose reduce this drug with kidney failure (but if your pet has early changes this may not be necessary, is case dependent). I would call your vet to check the dose, he or she may have a reason for this high dose. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. Cephalexin is a good general antibiotic, but is totally inappropriate for treating ears this bad. Unfortunately, I think you need to find another veterinarian. Hopefully, your next veterinarian will treat poor Vlude's ear with a proper regimen of medications. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Ember. No, this will not fall off on its own. Because of their barbs, porcupine quills can get stuck in a dog's soft tissue, and can move deeper into the body if they're not removed right away. The more the dog moves, the more likely the quills are to break and travel further into her face. Unfortunately there are no OTC medications you can give her to sedate her. She won't let her near it because it's quite painful. You need to take her into a vet immediately so that they can safely sedate her and remove the quill. Please take her into a vet now. Best of luck.