Why isn't my dog's chronic paw infection responding to antibiotics?

Poor girl. I do feel that culturing this area would be best, that way we know what antibiotic is needed to rid the bacteria present for sure. Especially after being on the same antibiotic for 28 days already. Re-infection of an area is also likely if the pet continues to lick at it. Therefore, if the infection is completely gone, you have to then treat the pets itch. If we are licking our feet due to allergies, then the underlying allergy should be addressed by keeping her on allergy medication. Discuss with your vet about the options of either Cytopoint injections or Apoquel to help manage her allergies. Also soaking her paws in Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted 1:10 with water daily can help soothe her paws and remove any allergens she picks up on her feet from outside. Chlorhexidine wipes can also be purchase and used to help with this. In the meantime, I would opt to go with a stronger antibiotic prescribed by your vet, perhaps Simplicef should be tried, until you can decide on further testing/treatment. I would also highly recommend having Bini tested for thyroid disease, which can cause chronic skin infections, lethargy and weight gain in dogs. I hope that this helps and best of luck with your pet Bini and her apparent allergies. Take care! : )

A skin biopsy and bacterial culture swab must be taken to define underlying cause specifically and decide appropriate treatment. This presentation may be caused by a resistant bacteria (so a different antibiotic will be needed) or an autoimmune disorder (so a different treatment will be given). 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.

Yes this looks like an infection. Antibiotics should clear it up but I recommend a minimum of three weeks on them to fully heal the feet. In addition you can wash and soak the feet in an antibacterial solution for five minutes twice daily, as well as clean the other areas of the skin that are infected. I would discuss this with your veterinarian to see if there is an allergic component causing the recurrent infections. You may also want to check her thyroid hormone levels as many animals with low thyroid levels have recurrent skin infections. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bini.

Usually a veterinarian would perform a cytology to distinguish between a bacterial and fungal skin infection - they would take a sample on a microscope slide and examine for organisms. It's also possible that Bini has a resistant bacterial infection, or she might have another underlying disease process like an autoimmune disorder contributing to her symptoms. In your picture her foot does not appear classic for a fungal infection. You may want to follow up with your vet to discuss further testing and treatment.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Archie seems to have a case of pododermatitis, an inflammatory condition sometimes associated with allergies. It may, indeed take a few days for the antibiotics to kick in. Hopefully, he is on an oral antibiotic, but I will also recommend a topical one, as well. This would involve bandaging up the foot so the antibiotic does its job. You can talk to your vet about some pain medication too. In the meantime, soak the foot in warm water & dilute betadine or 2% chlorhexidine. 1/4 cup of the solution in a cup of water should do it. Try to soak the paw for 5-10 minutes 3 times a day, rinse & dry the foot. This will help in the healing process. Hope Archie is doing better soon. Take care.

Some skin infections can take 3 weeks of antibiotics to clear. However, if its not gotten better, it may be a bit more complicated. As you mention, allergies may indeed be part of it. Eosinophils may indicate that there's an allergic component, so if you aren't addressing the allergies specifically. it may help to do so. Your vet may talk to you about trying some prednisone or apoquel to treat underlying allergies, and this may be very helpful. Weekly baths with a gentle non irritating shampoo may be helpful. I really like this one: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-shampoo-with-vitamin-d3 Best of luck, thank you for using PetCoach!

It looks like it could be an infected interdigital cyst, and if it’s happening in the same place it could be a resistant bacteria. There also might be foreign material like a stick in the area, or it could even be an infected tumor. Tabby might need a culture, or she might need to have this lesion removed. You may need to travel to see a different veterinarian if you feel like you’re not getting the care Tabby needs.