Should I give my dog skin medicine if a vet didn't prescribe it?

If you bought it over the counter (OTC), no prescription is needed. Directions for use should be on the container. Do not bathe more often than directed since this may make the itching worse and can dry out the skin. Try to determine the underlying cause of the itch. This may require a visit and exam with your veterinarian. Causes may include skin infection, external parasites, allergies or food sensitivities.

Yes, you can use it, but if you think your dog has an infection I would not recommend using it. I would also not recommend using it for more than a week as this cream can cause thinning of the skin which can result in fragile and broken skin.

HI, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Summer! Your Vet has tried a lot. My suggestion at this point is to see a dermatologist. I would have him on Nexgard or Bravecto to cover fleas, demodex and scabies despite the injections. I would start an omega 3 fish oil (see link). I would also do several seeks of an antibiotic and antiyeast. I would also use cytopoint. The dermatolgist can do skin testing as well for environmental allergies. You can try a thin layer of the quadriderm cream on the areas once daily but he can not lick it so you have to use an E-collar. It also will only help the symptoms you see not the underlying cause of his allergies. Do not use it for more than 1 week. I wish you the best https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19121

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection. First of all, you will need to ask the vet to perform a skin scrape (or similar test) - this might reveal an infection. 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!

Based on your description and her age, I personally would not recommend steroids for this skin infection. Express your concerns to the vet and consider not giving the steroids going forward. Often-times a topical spray that contains a steroid is helpful and not as much of an issue as oral steroids can be. The antibiotics alone however should take care of her skin condition if this is just a bacterial pyoderma. I hope that this helps! Best of luck with your pet Molly moving forward. Take care.

All of the brands you listed are good shampoos. Duoxo is one of my go to shampoos but many are equivalent. A chlorhexadine/ketoconazole shampoo helps treat yeast and bacteria. The main thing is to lather Sibyl up and allow the lather to soak for 20 minutes or so before rinsing. If needed you can bathe every 2-3 days. I also recommend an oral omega 3 supplement such as Derm Caps. Remember if you use topical flea or heart worm prevention the medicated shampoos will strip it out. I recommend oral preventatives for dogs getting medicated baths. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutrition-skin-and-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pruritus-itching-and-scratching-in-dogs I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello, there are multiple different medications for different type of parasites. Parasites of the skin may include fleas, lice, ticks, or mites. You would need to differentiate between these type of parasites to determine which medication is needed. Hope this help and best of luck.