Why won't my American Bulldog's swollen paw and elbow scrapes heal?

Poor pup. For any wound in which it doesn't heal with broad spectrum antibiotics you will need to get the area cultured or surgically removed. I assume he is intact, so a neuter + scrotal ablation (removal of the testicular sack) are recommended for this problem. However he unfortunately sounds very ill and potentially may have something else underlying that is causing this, such as Brucelosis, a fungal infection, or systemic infection. He need bloodwork analysis and perhaps even titers ran to check for these things before surgery. Having him hospitalized also should be considered to provide him supportive and nutritional support. I hope Rocky gets well soon and best of luck getting to he bottom of his illness. Take care.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bodie, it sounds as if he has had a rough three days. Bodie's lesions on his paw could certainly be related to an underlying environmental or food allergy that resulted in the development of a severe superficial and possible deep pyoderma, which can be difficult to treat if the bacteria present are resistant to normal antibiotics. Other potential causes could include fungal infections (depending on your location), and neoplasia (cancer). For lesions that do not respond to typical therapy with antibiotics and anti-itch medications (such as corticosteroids, Apoquel, Atopica), it may be necessary to perform a culture/sensitivity of the lesions to determine what type of bacteria present (if any) and what antibiotic it is sensitive to, or even a biopsy which could help rule-out certain fungal infections or neoplasia. I would recommend having Bodie re-evaluated by a veterinarian if the sores do not resolve to determine what the appropriate next step will be.

A skin biopsy and bacterial culture swab must be taken to define underlying cause specifically and decide appropriate treatment. This presentation may be caused by a resistant bacteria (so a different antibiotic will be needed) or an autoimmune disorder (so a different treatment will be given). 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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would highly recommend that you have Rocko evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment. I am suspicious that this may be due to more severe underlying trauma like a deep infection or possibly a fracture of the bone in that region. Upon further examination, they may recommend radiographs of the affected area. Treatment would depend on findings. I hope they can help him. Have a good day!

At. This point, I would surgically explore that lesion. There may be a foreign body in there, there may be a small mass or tumor inside, but at least it should be surgically debrided. Debriding it will remove all of the dead necrotic tissue. It should be kept clean by doing daily bandage changes and your pet likely needs a different antibiotic. If this was a routine infection that was responsive to Cephalexin, it would be better by now.

Since the vet's treatment didn't work, then Harley should be re-evaluated. The bump on the elbow looks like a callus, which is completely normal. It can get bigger or even irritated, but there isn't much we can do for it other than providing a soft place to lay rather than the hard floor. The wound on the toe looks bad, it could be caused by a deep infection or possibly something stuck under the skin, like a splinter or grass awn/seed. Your vet may need to sedate Harley to open the area on the foot to check for something being stuck and to flush out that area.

I am sorry Butch is not feeling well. It does appear like he has a small abscess or cyst on his foot. These can be hard to heal because of the location. I would recommend warm compress or even using epson salt soaks 2 times a day for 10-15 minutes. Also continue with oral antibiotics and pain medications. If it is still not resolving than possible a culture to determine the exact cause of the infection is needed. Make sure Butch is wearing an e-collar to prevent him from licking the worse and making the infection worse. Hope that helps and he feels better soon