Why isn't my dog's oozing leg infection healing with ointment?

Oh my. Poor guy. This infection is severe. I would have cultures taken of this skin immediately if the broad spectrum antibiotics that your vet gave aren't working. I would also consider getting biopsies of this thing. The area may need surgical debridement as well, because there is some diseased and necrotic (dead) tissue there that will prevent this from healing well if it isn't removed. I am so sorry your pet has such an aggressive skin condition. This certainly will need further medical management from your vet for sure. With the suggestions above, you should be able to get a better handle on this thing. Best of luck and take care!

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.

Many yeast and or fungal infections can take a while to improve. Veterinarians often start with topical therapy and often that is all that is needed. However, if the area is larger, not improving, bleeding, or otherwise seems worse than sometimes oral anti fungal medications and sometimes a cone to keep them from licking are important nest steps. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello. Otomax is a broad spectrum medication the contains an antibiotic, antifungal as well as a steroid. It is possible that the steroid is preventing the lesion from healing. I would talk to your vet about this & switching to another antibiotic such as silver sulfadiazine. If it still does not heal, the lesion may need to be cultured or biopsied to identify why it is not healing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It would be best to finish the course of oral antibiotic before deciding whether a different type or local formulation (an ointment) would be required. Resistant infections or fungal infections can cause severe damage if not recognize and treated. I would suggest to discuss with your local vet a bacterial swab of the nail in case no improvement are seen.

Ouch! Poor Lola! First thing you need to do is prevent her from licking it. If she continues to lick it will only get worse. You can place a cone collar on her to prevent this. Since it is bleeding and oozing a fluid, I am really concerned it is infected or something might be stuck in there. I would have your vet take a look at it. Your vet can properly clip and clean it and start her on the proper medicine to help her heal. They can even take an X-ray if needed. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon.

Poor Baxter! This looks like quite a deep wound, and it appears to be infected. I can't say from looking what might have caused it - it's possible that this could be a skin growth of some kind that has become infected and burst open, or he may have injured himself somehow. Regardless, this is definitely something that needs to be seen by a veterinarian - using topical antibiotic ointment will not be enough to treat it effectively. Your veterinarian can prescribe oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds, and may also recommend taking a biopsy of the affected area or other testing if needed to help determine what's going on.