Why is my dog still scratching his rash after vet treatment?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Izzy has one of the most frustrating dermatologic issues we face with our pets. Fungi are notorious for taking a very long time to kill or at least have managed. Unfortunately, there are multiple factors that contribute to a dog getting ringworm, and part of it is inate susceptibility that Izzy has. Inflammation of the skin will make skin infections of any kind more likely, so that should be a priority to get under control. There are shampoos available with a prescription, so ask your vet about them. Also, on rare occasion, oral antifungal therapy is warranted. This is less than 5% of cases from my experience, but if it is widespread on her body, it could be necessary. As she is susceptible, using a topical anti-fungal shampoo would be beneficial to minimize chances of recurrence once Izzy's skin has cleared-up. The itching needs to be explored further because it is what leads to skin inflammation and thus a higher chance of having an infection. Without being able to examine her, it is difficult to say whether the ringworm is under control, so continue to follow up with your vet as it can take weeks to months for it to clear up completely. Hope this helps!

Poor guy. I would highly recommend asking your vet to perform a skin scrape on Tombo. These lesions are suspicious for possible demodexx mites. The trumectin is a Demodexx treatment; however, you didn't mention that your vet actually tested for this. If this is a mite problem, then a topical medicated shampoo can be used in conjunction with the injections to gain better control of the overpopulation of mites on the skin. Also there are several other products that treat for mites that may be more effective for him, such as the off-label use of Nexgard, Bravecto or Simparica (have to be 6 months or older, so this may be an option depending on his exact birthdate). Also a skin culture should be done to determine which antibiotic will get rid of this infection for a certainty. Most skin infections will respond to broad spectrum antiobitcs, but there can be resistant infections that don't respond, which may be the case with your pet Tombo. This infection doesn't look particularly fungal in nature; however, if your vet already did a skin impression to confirm there is yeast present on the skin, then definitely continue with the Fluconazole treatment as prescribed. These viable tests (skin culture, skin scrape, impression) should give us a good idea on how we should be treating him from here moving forward. As a general rule of thumb, you can give you pet pet formulated fish oils for just about any skin condition in which the skin is red. Fish oils act as a natural anti-inflammatory and can also held with overall skin health. You can find these at your local pet store or through your vet office. I would also inquire with your vet about prescribing some antihistamines to help with any itching that Tombo has right now. That will help him allow his skin to heal and respond to all the treatments he is receiving. I hope this helps you find some resolve for Tombo's itchy/irritate and balding skin. Best wishes and take care!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center. I'm sorry to hear that Rocco has these spots on his body. They look like they could be ringworm, which is a fungus that infects the skin and causes patchy round area of redness and hairloss. Often a topical antifungal shampoo or cream will help treat this, however in some cases oral antifungal medication may be needed. I recommend monitoring Rocco's response to the treatments that your veterinarian prescribed, and have him evaluated again if signs worsen or do not start to improve within a week! I hope this is helpful!

It does look like a skin infection but the origin (bacterial, fungal, yeast) I don't know just by looking at it. If it is bacterial, sometimes oral antibiotics are needed if topical therapy is not working. I don't know what cream you are using as I am not aware of a chlorhexidine cream, or how long you have been using it, so it's hard for me to comment much more on what you are already doing. I personally like these chlorhexidine wipes because they also contain an anti-fungal/anti-yeast component (climabazole) and a component to help repair the skin (phytosphingosine) so it is gentle. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-5393-douxo-chlorhexidine-3-ps-pads-for-dogs-and-cats-30.aspx?SearchTerm=duoxo+Auto ) If she is licking this area, it will never get better. So, if she is licking, you will need to get an E-collar (cone) for her to wear until this is healed. So, if you want to try the medicated pads, I would do that. If there is still not resolution after a few weeks then she should go back to the vet. Skin maladies typically take quite a long time to respond completely to treatment so as long as it's not bothering her too much just continue on for a few more weeks. Treat the affected areas for at least a few days past all resolution of the lesions. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I am so sorry that you are having this problem with Rocco. I certainly understand how frustrating it is to watch him be so itchy. There are a number of reasons for skin problems in dogs. This article does an excellent job of describing them. You could be dealing with allergies (of various types), external parasites (such as fleas or mites), or secondary infections (bacterial or yeast). https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-is-my-dog-so-itchy/ This is also an excellent article on itching in dogs and the possible causes and treatments. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2604 Often the first step is making sure there isn’t any evidence of external parasites that need to be treated. You may still be dealing with a flea allergy even if you regularly treat for fleas. Once a flea bites a flea allergy dog, that dog can stay itchy for a week. Here is additional information on fleas causing itching in dogs. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2455 I would recommend having your veterinarian evaluate Rocco to discuss your treatment options. You will need to discuss resolving any secondary infections which will make him more itchy. This can involve topical treatments (like shampoos, wipes or sprays) or may involve oral medications. You can then discuss medication for the itching (which may be prescription or over the counter medication). There are a number of good treatment options for itching and allergies, but sometimes it takes a little while to find the right combination for your dog. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and Rocco is feeling better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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!