Why isn't my dog's fungal skin infection going away with shampoo?

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.

Hi, thank you for using PetCoach. Skin issues can certainly be frustrating. If Mocha isn't responding to the therapy her vet prescribed, please contact them to discuss next steps. It is impossible to diagnose a skin condition from photos alone. Her vet may recommend doing cytology, fungal culture and/or skin scrapes to determine the cause of her infection. In some cases referral to a veterinary dermatologist may be recommended for difficult cases. Sometimes there is underlying endocrine disease or allergies that may require bloodwork to diagnose. In the meantime, a diet for sensitive skin is always a good idea for dogs with recurrent skin infection. I really like Purina ProPlan Salmon for dogs with skin problems. VIP-_-58700003318233982&kwid=p30226684098&device=c&gclid=CKDNtaClntoCFcu0fgodJBgN9A&gclsrc=ds Many times your vet may recommend a medicated shampoo to help with skin infections. I would check with Mocha's vet to see what they recommend based on her condition. Some shampoos can be more irritating than helpful. Though ketohex is usually useful for bacterial and fungal infections https://www.amazon.com/Vet-One-313985007705-Ketohex-Shampoo/product-reviews/B00WAP0M1U/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_tr_cr_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1W04Q4164W15DCWTM9HE Good luck, I hope Mocha improves soon.

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach. If the fungal infection is ringworm, it can take weeks to months to fully resolve. Many times treating the environment as well as the cat is needed. Keep Mia indoors may make it easier to contain the infection and prevent reinfection. The vet can look at hairs under the microscope or try to culture the fungus from Mia to assess if she still has it. Here is more information on Ringworm that may help. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=559

Poor Bruno. He should be on oral anti-fungal medication +/- topical antifungal cream or shampoo, depending on what areas of his body is affected. For really resistant infections often pets need extended time on the medication which can be anywhere from 2-6 weeks. I know it's tough to be compliant for that long, but it may be necessary to clear Bruno's infected skin completely and for good.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Izzy has one of the most frustrating dermatologic issues we face with our pets. Fungi are notorious for taking a very long time to kill or at least have managed. Unfortunately, there are multiple factors that contribute to a dog getting ringworm, and part of it is inate susceptibility that Izzy has. Inflammation of the skin will make skin infections of any kind more likely, so that should be a priority to get under control. There are shampoos available with a prescription, so ask your vet about them. Also, on rare occasion, oral antifungal therapy is warranted. This is less than 5% of cases from my experience, but if it is widespread on her body, it could be necessary. As she is susceptible, using a topical anti-fungal shampoo would be beneficial to minimize chances of recurrence once Izzy's skin has cleared-up. The itching needs to be explored further because it is what leads to skin inflammation and thus a higher chance of having an infection. Without being able to examine her, it is difficult to say whether the ringworm is under control, so continue to follow up with your vet as it can take weeks to months for it to clear up completely. Hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The anti-fungal medications can sometimes take several days to a week or so to see a dramatic improvement so if Ruckas just started the treatment, I would give it a good week. After another week and you still do not see any improvement, you may revisit with Ruckas's veterinarian to discuss other causes such as a bacterial infection or perhaps due to a seasonal allergy or food allergy as a cause for the skin lesions. I hope this helps!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection. First of all, you will need to ask the vet to perform a skin scrape (or similar test) - this might reveal an infection. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!