Why are my dog's skin sores worse after prednisone and antibiotics?

Poor Buster! I'm sorry to hear that he's having so many problems. At this point, since he is on his third round of antibiotics without improvement, it sounds like he definitely needs some additional testing to help diagnose the problem. I would recommend a bacterial culture and sensitivity of the pus or discharge, as well as a punch biopsy of the skin to check for autoimmune diseases like lupus or pemphigus foliaceus. Depending on what else has been tried, other options might include a trial course of steroids or other immunosuppressive medication like Atopica or Apoquel, or a diet trial with a prescription hypoallergenic food. You can request referral to a veterinary dermatologist or get a second opinion from another vet locally if you feel that this is needed.

That is quite an unusual lesion. Has your vet consulted a dermatologist regarding that? Given the history of autoimmune disease and immunosuppressive medication options could include calcinosis cutis secondary to the steroids, a fungal (or atypical bacterial) infection, drug eruption, etc. There are higher risks for complications with certain drugs and for certain infectious agents in different parts of the country. Sampling is likely indicated (cytology or biopsy, culture) and i would definitely recommend getting the input of a dermatologist before it progresses. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry to hear Abe is having skin issues. I would be concerned by the progression of his skin that he may have something more going on in addition to the bacterial infection, such as allergies, a skin parasites (mites or fleas) or a fungal infection. I would recommend he be re-evaluated to determine if something more is going on and additional treatment is needed. Good luck!

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. 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!

Betty looks generally red, so my biggest suspicion is that she has environmental allergies. However, mange should be ruled-out as a cause as well. The antibiotics are great for treating secondary bacterial infections of the skin, but will do nothing for the primary cause of the itching. She needs to go back to the vet and get the primary cause of the itching diagnosed and treated in order to keep this from getting worse. With appropriate treatment, we can often get this problem under control. For now, it's good to give a bath with just cool water once to twice a day. This will help to relieve the skin and possibly flush away any environmental alergins. I hope that helps and Betty gets better soon.

The lesion in the second image appears to be infected. The area will need to be shaved of all surrounding hair, scrubbed with an antiseptic such as dilute betadine or chlorhexidine, and then an antibiotic will be required (most likely a systemic one). George will also have to wear a cone to prevent him from continuing to cause any self-inflicted trauma to the area. Your vet will be able to get a better look at the lesions to see if he can figure out what may have started everything to begin with. He may want to obtain some skin scrapings to take a look at under the microscope. Hope this makes sense.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria - so called hot spot). 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. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. 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.