My dog has symptoms of a bacterial skin infection. What should I do?

There's no way to know for sure from a photograph, but it does look like a bacterial infection. It is important to have this seen by your vet to determine what it is so the correct treatment can be started as soon as possible before it gets worse or is a sign of an underlying problem. Your vet will do an exam, possibly labwork, and based on these results will be better able to tell you what is causing this and how best to treat it.

That is either a bacterial or fungal infection on Daisy's skin. SHe needs to see a vet to have this resolved. The vet needs to test the skin first and then can prescribe the correct medication to help this resolve. I hope that Daisy can see your vet soon. Its best to keep her away from other dogs and don't handle the area much until she is tested. Best of luck moving forward. Take care.

This does look like a severe skin disease. Dogs can develop environmental allergies similar to eczema, but I would expect that he would have responded some to the medications prescribed at least temporarily if this was the case. Buddy could have a parasite, resistant infection, or an autoimmune disease causing these symptoms as well. You may want to recheck with the vet to see if there are any other tests they might recommend - a skin scrape, fungal culture, skin cytology and culture, or biopsy might be the next steps. If Buddy is not on a good flea and tick preventative I'd recommend starting one as well just in case of parasites.

You will first need to determine the type of infection. A recheck with your veterinarian would be recommended. Samples can be submitted for fungal culture as well as for bacterial culture and sensitivity. If it is a fungal infection, your vet can dispense an antifungal. Some of these infections can take weeks t months to resolve. If it is a bacterial infection, the sensitivity panel should determine the most effective antibiotic to use in treatment. Allergies should also be ruled out as an underlying cause. They can be frustrating to diagnose since they have multiple causes (food, environmental, parasites). Discuss allergy testing, food elimination trials, hydrolyzed diets and antihistamine use with your veterinarian. Legally, we are prohibited from recommending a medication in the absence of a physical exam. Any prescription medications will need to come from your vet.

It looks like Bruno has a skin infection. Parasites like mites and fleas can cause irritation of the skin that can lead to bacterial infections. If he has not had skin scrapings performed to look for mites, that would be my recommendation. If there are no mites, and he has been treated for fleas, then perhaps the topical medications he is on are not enough, and he needs an oral antibiotic to control the infection. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It looks like he has a skin infection. You could bathe him with an antibacterial dog shampoo but he will likely need an oral antibiotic to treat the infection. Call your vet and schedule an appointment for treatment.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does look like Max has a skin infection. Washing him was a good idea but he likely needs oral antibiotics to cure it. Puppies commonly get skin infections on their belly because they have a weak immune system. I would take him to the vet to get medications started. Good luck and kisses to Max!