Why does my dog keep getting recurring skin infections with pus?

It looks as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Poor Loki! There are four main things that will cause persistent skin issues. They are flea allergy, environmental allergy, food allergy and hypothyroidism. They are each ruled out differently. It sounds like your doctor was suspecting an environmental allergy but I can’t be sure based upon the information. I would recommend testing his thyroid and if that’s not it, put him on a food trial. Environmental allergy is not ruled out yet but it is the most difficult to figure out. Also make sure he is on a good flea prevention. I recommend Simparica or Nexgard. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Guy! He could have an allergic dermatitis and a skin infection. He definitely needs to be examined and treated by a vet. If your vet is not able to manage the condition then you could take him to a veterinary dermatologist. I am not sure what medications he has been prescribed in the past, but it looks like he needs an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. You could also talk to you vet about trying a new allergy medication called Apoquel or Cytopoint to see if that helps, too. Your vet could also do a skin scrape and/or biopsy of his skin to help rule out other potential causes. Hope he gets some relief soon!

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!

This presentation could be due to a localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and eventually antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid licking. 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.

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.

Oh my. This looks like I pretty bag staph infection. Your vet needs to do a culture of your pets skin to confirm what antibiotic will work to heal this. Otherwise you will likely see some resistance with whatever antibiotic you choose. Your vet also may want to do a biopsy of the skin to rule out skin cancer. I hope that Oreo heals from this nasty skin infection soon! Best wishes and take care.