My dog has a persistent skin issue. Vets have no answers. What next?

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.

Hello. I am so sorry for your concerns with Brandi. I wish I could just diagnose her skin problems from just a picture, but this is quite impossible. If this has been a chronic issue, my recommendations would be to either get a referral to a veterinary dermatologist who specializes in unusual skin problems, or have your veterinarian biopsy one of these lesions. It is not unusual to have to go this route when you have a frustrating case that just does not want to resolve using conventional therapy. Skin scrapes are good first step, but I think your veterinarian needs to look deeper into Brandi's skin problem. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor girl! Allergies are so frustrating but can be rewarding if you can find what works best for her. I would strongly talk to your vet about long term steroids and anti-fungals. Steroids long term are not ideal for her liver and kidneys but if it is the only thing that will keep her comfortable then it may be the only choice. If you don't want to do that, you can also try apoquel and cytopoint together. I have success with this combo as well and have been told by a dermatologist that it is safe to do together. From the picture, it looks like she is covered in yeast and needs some anti-fungal medicine as well. I personally like terbinafine and recently had a dermatologist tell me it is okay to use long term. I have 2-3 dogs currently on it long term and it has helped a lot. Talk to your vet about proper dosing for Kiley. I usually do it daily for 1-2 months then decrease the dose to every Monday and Tuesday long term. I would also be bathing her with a medicated shampoo like miconahex-triz 2-3 times per week. If you don't already, put her on some omega-3 fatty acids. Also, I know you mentioned some food changes but if you haven't tried a food trial with a PRESCRIPTION hypoallergenic food, I would also talk to your vet about this as well. Once you get the itching and yeast under control, you may be able to switch her to from the steroid to apoquel or cytopoint and they may work better. I hope this helps!

A food elimination trial should last a minimum of 6-8 weeks feeding one food exclusively, no other treats or foods. Afterwards, the condition should be reassessed. If this is the case with two different diets containing a novel protein/carb combo and still no improvement, then a consultation and exam with a veterinary dermatologist may be your next step. If Samson is licking or chewing excessively, an e-collar (cone) should be used. Consider an essential fatty acid supplement, such as DermCaps or EicosaCaps, to promote healthy skin and coat. If allergies are the underlying cause, they can be frustrating to diagnose, but once you determine specific allergens then management may be easier.

If you and Savage have gone through that many rounds of treatment at such a young age, I would consider getting more aggressive with the diagnostics and treatments to get to bottom of the problem You should consult your regular vet to see what testing they can perform at their clinic before you get referred to a dermatologist specialist. They can take skin scrapings or do a skin biopsy or start allergy testing to find the underlying cause of her problems.

That is an odd looking lesion. If you haven't noticed any improvement with the antibiotics, it could not bacterial in nature or it could be a bacteria with antibiotic resistance. I recommend to have Oakley examined again. A few potential causes could be fungus (including ringworm which humans can get) or a foreign object trapped under the skin. Ask your vet about fungal testing or treatment for fungal infection. A biopsy is another option. I hope this helps to provide some guidance and please feel free to post any additional testing.

I would talk to your vet about doing a biopsy or a culture and sensitivity. The biopsy may be able to tell a different skin condition (underlying mange, fungal infection, etc) that may require different medications than just antibiotics and steroids. A culture and sensitivity may reveal a resistant bacteria that isn't responding to the current antibiotics. I hope this helps.