# Recurring Skin Infection?



## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

I have a going on 4 year old Min-pin. She developed a hefty amount of pustules on the left of her rear end that itched her horribly and eventually became hairless. The same pustules also appeared under her chin.

I took her into the vet and he stated it was an obvious skin infection. He did a swab to rule out a bacterial infection and there was none present. He gave me a course of antibiotics, steroids, and surprisingly no fungal treatment (I didn't think to ask.)

Her rear end cleared up within days; scabs closed, skin softened, hair returned to normal and I still finished her round of antibiotics and steroids.

However, nearly 4 days ago, the same pustules have returned. She even has a very large one in the same exact spot that it was a month ago.

My mother works in the medical field and is going to grab me a special ointment (pet safe) that wards off everything to MRSA because I am a college student and cannot afford another $300 vet visit.

Does anyone have experience with skin infections? Is it really necessary to bring her back to the vet to kick this? I feel horrible for her and it's so ugly.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Swab the areas with a good astringent like witch hazel. Then consider this might be food related. Look back to see if you can find a common food thread between the incidents. Be very careful using anything your mom might give you taht is meant for humans. Even if it is believed to be pet safe you never know. Try the astringent for a week 3x a day. You can also apply cortisone 10 cream locally to help control itch. Don't use a gel like neosporin tho because that blocks the pores that you want to breathe to heal this.


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

witchhazel is actually a great idea.


well, this is what i think after a process of elimination. let me know.

i'm fairly certain now that she probably has red mange and it's non-contagious (thank god). red mange is caused by excess mites.

the dog itches itself profusely, breaks skin, staph infection occurs. wah-lah. they treated her for an infection, the antibiotic kicked it, it came back due to the mites.

normally i'm not big on diagnosing my dog online because the possibilities are endless, but what really got me were the symptoms of a "mousy" odor and crusty edges of the ears. she had a medicated bath 4 or so days ago and just has the strangest smell. the ends of her ears are also slightly crusty along the edges.

my mother suggested getting me chlorhexidine before i discovered the possibility of mange. wikipedia says: "For use in animals, it is used as a topical disinfectant of wounds. It is more effective in killing bacteria (bactericidal) than both povidone-iodine and saline, and has residual effects up to 6 hours ... it's common in treating skin infections..."

sigh. they have to do skin scrapings for this if mange really is the cause.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

For a specific diagnosis yes they would have to doa skin scraping. There are a ton of great threads on here regarding mange. Some just recently. Treating it isn't as bad as it seems but correct diagnosis is important early on. Also mange tends to follow a specific pattern when affecting a dog and starting ont he bum isn't it. You usually see thin hair around the eyes and face first going to the chest and trunk of the body then the back and butt/rear legs. Demodectic Mange is treated generally with 6-8 weeks of theraputic baths with a mite-a-cide shampoo like mitaban and accompanying skin infections either treat with antibiotics orally and theraputic bathing with appropriate shampoos usually an oxide or chlorhexiderm. sarcoptic mange can present with crusty ear tips and is HIGHLY contagious. 

Personally I would be thinking along the lines of imptiago, bacterial/fungal infection such as staph or cellulitis, contact dermatitis, pyoderma, hair pore infection (folliculitis), before mange. Can you post a pic?? That would help immensely.


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

Dog_Shrink said:


> For a specific diagnosis yes they would have to doa skin scraping. There are a ton of great threads on here regarding mange. Some just recently. Treating it isn't as bad as it seems but correct diagnosis is important early on. Also mange tends to follow a specific pattern when affecting a dog and starting ont he bum isn't it. You usually see thin hair around the eyes and face first going to the chest and trunk of the body then the back and butt/rear legs. Demodectic Mange is treated generally with 6-8 weeks of theraputic baths with a mite-a-cide shampoo like mitaban and accompanying skin infections either treat with antibiotics orally and theraputic bathing with appropriate shampoos usually an oxide or chlorhexiderm. sarcoptic mange can present with crusty ear tips and is HIGHLY contagious.
> 
> Personally I would be thinking along the lines of imptiago, bacterial/fungal infection such as staph or cellulitis, contact dermatitis, pyoderma, hair pore infection (folliculitis), before mange. Can you post a pic?? That would help immensely.


well, she's had it for over a month and never transmitted anything to my other pup, so it's nothing contagious.

the vet did a swab and looked at it and said it was NOT a bacterial infection, so i would guess that would rule out staph, etc. (?) the antibiotics kicked it until recently when it came back days ago.

it's not very large, but she has one giant pustule and one by her tail that isn't visible in this picture. 

you can slightly see where her hair was returning after our episode with this last month. 



thank you for the help.


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## dieterherzog (Sep 28, 2009)

This might help you: http://www.dog-health-guide.org/bumps-on-dog-skin-and-rear.html

Some dogs may just be more prone to developing skin conditions - the steroids that your vet prescribed just helped with the itch and the antibiotic helped with the infection that probably stemmed from all the scratching. It doesn't address the cause. Most dogs have skin infections due to poor immune system. 

I would try those steps outlined in that link above along with giving your dog high quality food, a good multivitamin and fish oil. In the meantime, if your dog itches, the witch hazel suggestion is really good along with aloe vera to soothe the raw skin. Washing the area with an infusion of calendula flowers is also good to help with the itching.


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## linda5508 (Apr 13, 2009)

Well of course you need to take her back to the vet. If you can't afford a vet you shouldn't have a dog in the first place.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

That is most definitely NOT mange. I can see smoe seborrhea in the area of her skin near yu rhand which can be cleared upw ith a good sulfa tar shampoo, and the bump I would treat with the antiseptic course that I described to you previously. I also think that this is food related. She is in overall poor coat, has an obvious skin disorder and like the last poster said it could all be from an immune system failure. I would absolutely change foods to a higher quality, grain free( or at least wheat free) food.

PS Linda comments like that aren't needed. Everyoneis in financial straits right now and this is not a vet worthy visit IMO. The OP just needs a little direction. I certainly wouldn't take my dog to the vet for something like this. This is completely treatable at home before a vet visit would even need to be considered. There's no evidence of a major infection warranting RX meds. Sometimes a little knowledge foes a long way. To the OP I would highly recommend a book called The dog owners home veterinary handbook by James M Giffin. It has saved me THOUSANDS on senseless vet visits.


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

linda5508 said:


> Well of course you need to take her back to the vet. If you can't afford a vet you shouldn't have a dog in the first place.


if you can't afford a new transmission, should you not have a car?

i can afford a vet, but if over-the-counter meds will work, such as chlorhexidine shampoos, then why not try it out? she has already been to the vet once about this.

my dogs are probably more spoiled than your children. however, thanks for taking the time to give me your input.


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

Dog_Shrink said:


> That is most definitely NOT mange. I can see smoe seborrhea in the area of her skin near yu rhand which can be cleared upw ith a good sulfa tar shampoo, and the bump I would treat with the antiseptic course that I described to you previously. I also think that this is food related. She is in overall poor coat, has an obvious skin disorder and like the last poster said it could all be from an immune system failure. I would absolutely change foods to a higher quality, grain free( or at least wheat free) food.
> 
> PS Linda comments like that aren't needed. Everyoneis in financial straits right now and this is not a vet worthy visit IMO. The OP just needs a little direction. I certainly wouldn't take my dog to the vet for something like this. This is completely treatable at home before a vet visit would even need to be considered. There's no evidence of a major infection warranting RX meds. Sometimes a little knowledge foes a long way. To the OP I would highly recommend a book called The dog owners home veterinary handbook by James M Giffin. It has saved me THOUSANDS on senseless vet visits.


i appreciate your help very much! someone recommended "micro-tek" shampoo to me so i might give that or a chlorhexadine shampoo a try.

i've been feeding her innova but i guess i will give some evo a go, then.


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## TomN (Jul 1, 2007)

The reality of it is.. none of us are Veterinarians and even more so, to diagnose something via the internet is just guessing at best. Until you know what you are dealing with it will be hard to start any successful treatment plan. 

Not sure how long your dog was on antibiotics, but you may have to go on a longer course or use them in what some vets call a burst. what this means is that after a 10 straight days of giving them once a day you then follow up by giving them 2 consecutive days once a week for 6-8 weeks or whatever your vet recommends. I have done this for my dog for skin infections that were secondary to allergies and it has worked very successfully.


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