My dog's vulva is itchy, red, inflamed after UTI antibiotics.

Aside from the vulvoplasty surgery which can be very successful, make sure your pet is at a healthy weight. If she is at all overweight, that can cause the skin folds to become deeper and more difficult to manage.

If a UTI is not resolving with typical antibiotic therapy, it's time to do a urine culture to determine a.) the specific bacteria that is causing the infection and b.) the exact antibiotic and dosage necessary to resolve it. If a urine culture has been performed and the infection is still not going away, I would suggest using baby wipes on Riley after she urinates, in order to remove as much urine and debris from the vulva as possible. It also may be necessary to put her in an e-collar (cone) until the infection resolves, as licking may be complicating recovery as well.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are describing sounds as if the folds of skin around the vulva are red inside. This happens commonly when urine get a trapped in the skin folds and causes irritation. It is especially common in dogs with excessive skin over the vulva and can even predispose to urinary tract infections. I would recommend using malacetic conditioning spray, mal a ket wipes or preva wipes to keep the skin around the vulva clean. If this worsens or does not resolve, I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This does not necessarily warrant a veterinary evaluation if it goes away on its own. Since she has improved, I would continue to monitor her for now. If this does not improve, I recommend you have her reevaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They may decide at that point to try a different antibiotic if they think it is because of an infection. Best of luck!

I am sorry to hear about Lilo. It looks like she has a recessed vulva. This can predispose a dog to developing a urinary tract infection. If you have closely examined her vulva before and it did not look like this, I suppose it is possible she could have inflammation from licking resulting in swelling of the area but it is less likely. I would recommend having your vet examine the area in person to see if they feel this is a recessed vulva. Sometimes medicated wipes can be used to clean between the folds and prevent infection, but in cases of recurrent infection surgical alteration of the area can be helpful.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dior and including a picture, it's helpful. The area does look a bit red, but it's hard to tell from a picture if there is an issue or not. Diagnosing a UTI would require a urine sample, and I would need to be able to see her in person to diagnose if there is an infection. I'm also not sure if she is showing symptoms like frequent urination, urinating in small amounts, drinking lots of water, trying to go to the bathroom frequently, accidents in the home, or lethargy (these are all signs of a UTI). An infection may be presented with symptoms such as a discharge. If she is showing any of the signs I mentioned, then she needs to see a vet. Just a little redness could be normal, and if she has no symptoms or abnormal behavior, then I suspect she is fine. I hope this helps!

Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking or chewing. Keep the area clean and dry. This may be enough to allow for healing, but since the skin appears broken, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian. She may need antibiotics which are by prescription only.