Why does my dog's paw infection keep returning despite 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! : )

It looks like this may not be a simple infection. You should talk to your vet about a possible immune-mediated disease or a biopsy for a resistant infection or fungal infection. The vet may need to check his blood work and test for FIV/FeLV to see if there are any abnormalities which could affect healing.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The antibiotics are probably not working because there is another underlying problem such as allegies. Or perhaps it is not healing because Bini is licking at it constantly. I’d recommend an E-collar at all times for at least 7 days and talking with your veterinarian about adding a course of steroids to decrease swelling, inflammation and pain. If this really is a resistant bacteria, topical antiseptics such as chlorhexidine or betadine will be more effective. Soak the foot in a diluted solution of one of those once to twice daily for 5 minutes, then dry very thoroughly. Best wishes to you and 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.

Ouch! Those look pretty painful. If the medication isn't working it may be a good idea to take a sample of the lesions to be sent out to a lab for testing to see if there is a more specific medication that can be used, or if there is another cause for the lesions. Some viral illnesses can also cause lesions, in which case antibiotics wouldn't work to treat the underlying cause, only to prevent secondary infection from forming. Since they are coming back and look pretty painful, additional examination and bloodwork is also a good idea to narrow down possibilities. Keeping your catch from biting at or scratching the lesions with an Elizabethan (cone) collar is also a good idea to help prevent further irritation while it tries to heal.

Many problems can cause abscesses such as puncture wounds, migrating foreign object, bone infection, and even a sterile inflammatory disorder called panniculitis. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian and consider an x-ray and culture of the wound as the next step. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.