Why does my dog keep getting painful paw infections and hot spots?

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! : )

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.

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 the skin in this area has become infected. It could have started as a simple wound, like you said, and then progressively became infected. To help the area heal, keep the wound clean and dry. Wash it 2x a day with a gentle antibacterial soap. You can apply some triple antibiotic ointment to it as well. You will need to keep Boomer from licking the area as best as you can. The best way to do this is by placing an E-collar on him. If this does not help the area heal in 3-5 days or if the area around the wound is swollen at all, I would recommend taking Boomer to the vet to have it evaluated. He may need oral antibiotics to get it cleared up. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

If the hot spot is small you can try putting some triple antibiotic ointment on it. You will want to try and prevent your dog from licking the area as much as possible, like with an E-collar, to allow it to heal. If the area is very large and inflamed your dog may benefit from oral antibiotics to help it heal more quickly. If treatment at home doesn’t work then you will probably need to have her examined by a vet. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about the recurrent skin problems plaguing Bini. Sounds like she is having recurrent outbreaks of a staph bacteria on her abdomen. This could be due to many things including ectoparasite (fleas, ticks, mites, lice, etc) problems, allergies (inhaled, flea allergies, and food allergies), primary bacterial infection, internal organ dysfunction, autoimmune skin disease, immune system problems among many other causes. It's also possible that the infection is not treated with the right antibiotic or for a long enough time period. I am not aware of any vaccinations that specifically help treat skin problems like this. Sounds like you should ask your veterinarian for a referral to another vet who specializes in skin disorders (dermatologist) or seek a second opinion from another veterinarian. If she were my patient, I would advise a 21 day course of a good skin antibiotic and very strict flea/tick control. If the problem continued I would then investigate the possibility of allergies. I hope this helps and good luck.