My puppy's itching is worse after treatment. When should I see the vet?

Poor Pepper! Since it sounds like the antibiotics have not fixed the problem, I would recommend taking her back to the vet for a recheck exam. She may need some diagnostic testing, such as a skin scrape, to help diagnose what is causing the itching. Prescription medication like a short-term course of prednisone may also be needed to relieve the itching, in addition to treating whatever underlying problem is causing it. In the meantime, you can try using a topical hydrocortisone spray labeled for use in dogs (you can get this at most pet stores) to help relieve some of her discomfort until you can get her back in to see the vet.

Hello! A picture of the lesion would help us give more helpful input. However, if Shiloh's skin is flaky and itchy, it could be a number of things, including superficial pyoderma, demodicosis, sarcoptes, yeast dermatitis, and ringworm. It is difficult to narrow down the causes without doing an exam on her or at least seeing the lesions, but it is very likely some sort of infection (whether bacterial, yeast, or parasitic) so I do recommend bringing Shiloh to the vet. Your vet will be able to determine the cause, and Shiloh will likely need prescription medication (antibiotics, antifungals, or anti-parasite, along with possible medicated shampoo) to clear the issue. Depending on the severity of the issue on her skin, it very likely might not improve without prescription meds, so it is worth having her seen as soon as possible. Additionally, depending on her age, she may have some underlying condition that might be making her skin susceptible to infection, such as allergies or hypothyroidism. I hope this helps.

It sounds like Georgia is having an allergic reaction. You should be giving her the antihistamine every 8 hours and try washing the affected area with an antibacterial hand soap (rinse it well). You can continue to apply to anti-itch cream twice daily (but make sure she is not licking it!), so make her wear an elizabethan collar if you need to. Try this treatment for 3-5 days. If it is not improving or if it is getting worse, then take her in to see her vet. The doctor has stronger medications that are sometimes needed for allergic reactions. I hope this helps!

Hello, thank you for your question about Lily. It is possible that Lily's itching could be due to the Advantage product. Advantage generally has an alcohol base to it and some dogs are more sensitive to this, they may begin itching or rubbing after application. I would recommend continuing to monitor Lily for the next 24 hours to see if the itching improves or resolves. If her symptoms continue I would recommend having her evaluated by your veterinarian to look for other possible causes of her itching such as skin infection. Hope this helps, good luck!

Poor Muskwa! If he is that itchy, I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian. There are medications like Apoquel and Cytopoint which can stop the itching but you can only get those from your vet. sometimes anti-histamines can help but they are not as strong as the above medications. You will need to call your vet for dosing because pharmacy law prohibits online vets from dosing medications. I hope this helps.

The medicated shampoo must have contact time. You need to lather it on and then leave it on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing. You also need to be bathing in this fashion every 2-3 days until the skin is looking better. Skin issues like this take a few weeks to clear up so you won't see an immediate response.

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.