My dog's crusty neck and nose sores keep returning. What helps?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What year did scribing sounds like a bacterial skin infection. It sounds like it had done okay on the prescribed course of treatment. Unfortunately, sometimes infections may require several courses of antibiotics or several different antibiotics before an adequate response is achieved. I would suggest going back in to see your veterinarian who initially prescribed the antibiotics and shampoo. The shampoo that I'm most recommend is duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved. You can find this shampoo online if you're vet does not carry it. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text baste consultation if needed.

It could be an allergic dermatitis and/or a bacterial skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo and clean that area with an antiseptic wound cleaner to see if that helps. Otherwise he will need to be examined by a veterinarian for treatment. Your vet can prescribe an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, and/or other medications to help treat the problem.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Yes, you can bathe a dog weekly. Nexgard is used monthly. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

The lesions that you are seeing on the back of Bruce's neck could be a result of a skin infection from his excessive scratching (possibly related to allergies to fleas, food or environmental factors), but could also be associated with ringworm, mange or benign or malignant cancerous processes. Bruce should go to his vet for evaluation because he likely needs a course of antibiotics to treat any infection present. Until you can get to the vet, keep an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further scratching and skin damage. Also be sure that he is receiving a high quality flea preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto or K9 Advantix II) regularly. Baths in an antibacterial shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982) may be beneficial until his vet appointment. I hope that all goes well!

Even though a picture would help to understand better the underlying cause, this presentation could be due to a localized persistent spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for sending along the pictures- the areas there do look very red and do appear infected to me. Allergies, bacterial, fungal, or mite infections can all be possible causes. You can try the medicated shampoo again to see if it helps this time around. If it doesn't help much or if it worsens, I would recommend Oscar see his veterinarian for an exam and further evaluation. He may need antibiotics or other medications as needed.

I am so sorry to hear about Drako! It is definitely quite possible given the appearance and his breed that he could be suffering from an autoimmune disease such as lupus. Other possibilities would include bacterial and fungal infections, solar dermatosis (sensitivity to sun) and zinc responsive dermatosis, and less commonly cancer. It looks like if your dog didn't respond to the antibiotics and steroids then some additional testing needs to be done. A biopsy is the fastest way to determine what the problem here could be. I would recommend discussing this with your vet and if they don't feel comfortable asking for a referral to a specialist.