Why does my dog have recurring skin boils and extreme thirst?

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.

This definitely looks like a skin infection and pretty deep. Unfortunately, topical over the counter medications are probably not going to be enough to clear this up. Dozer will need to see your veterinarian to get the right prescription antibiotic to treat this properly.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You may be referring to infected pustules. This is something that is typically treated with anti-microbial shampoos. However, this depends if they truly are due to an infection and the extent of it. For that reason, I highly recommend you check in with your veterinarian for a physical exam prior to starting any therapies. They can check for an infection and start medications depending on the findings. Have a good night!

Hello. Wowzo is developing a pretty severe dermatitis possibly due to an allergic reaction. This has led to a staph infection. He needs to be treated with a short-acting steroid & started either on an antibiotic or a medicated shampoo to help the skin to heal. Then, you & your veterinarian will try to figure out why this happened & what needs to be done to control or prevent the same thing from happening again. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Boondi. This is a bacterial infection caused by a staphylococcus organism which is a normal skin resident. This is very common in puppies due to an immature immune system, nutritional/intestinal parasite problems, and environmental causes. I would advise taking the puppy to your veterinarian for an examination. Your vet can advise you on treating this condition and also on providing the best preventive health care (vaccines, deworming, etc). If you cannot get to a veterinarian, I would advise a benzoyl peroxide medicated shampoo. Lather her up well with the shampoo and leave the lather on for 10 minutes so it can work. Rinse very well. Repeat this 2-3 times weekly until improvement occurs then decrease to once weekly until gone. She might need antibiotics to help clear this up. Good luck

Oh my. This looks like I pretty bag staph infection. Your vet needs to do a culture of your pets skin to confirm what antibiotic will work to heal this. Otherwise you will likely see some resistance with whatever antibiotic you choose. Your vet also may want to do a biopsy of the skin to rule out skin cancer. I hope that Oreo heals from this nasty skin infection soon! Best wishes and take care.