Why aren't my dog's skin lesions improving with topical antibiotics?

It is difficult for me to give you much advice without having more information but I will try my best. His skin may be getting worse due to an idiosyncratic drug reaction. The antibiotics may not be agreeing with him. A change to a different class of antibiotic may be all that is needed. The antibiotic he was prescribed may not be the correct one for this particular bacterial infection (if it is a bacterial infection). A culture and sensitivity of the crusty lesions on the head may need to be done in order to find out what bacteria are there and what antibiotic will be most effective. This may be a fungal skin infection (or yeast) and not a bacterial infection) hence why the antibiotic is not working. Antibiotics do not treat fungus or yeast. In young dogs I would be worried that this is a secondary infection of the skin from mange mites. It can be seen in older dogs as well but it is much more common in youngsters. So, I would have your vet do a skin scraping to check for mites. This could be an autoimmune disorder (like pemphigus). A biopsy of the affected area would be needed for diagnosis. That is all I can come up with right off the top of my head. I hope this helps to give you some things to bring up with your vet. Best wishes!

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.

The lesion in the second image appears to be infected. The area will need to be shaved of all surrounding hair, scrubbed with an antiseptic such as dilute betadine or chlorhexidine, and then an antibiotic will be required (most likely a systemic one). George will also have to wear a cone to prevent him from continuing to cause any self-inflicted trauma to the area. Your vet will be able to get a better look at the lesions to see if he can figure out what may have started everything to begin with. He may want to obtain some skin scrapings to take a look at under the microscope. Hope this makes sense.

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.

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

Those spots on Jimmy could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with a oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they are unlikely to address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Jimmy wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.