Why are my pitbull's skin abscesses getting worse on antibiotics?

If the skin lesions became worse on prednisone one has to seriously consider that these lesions may be caused by mange mites. Your vet would need to take a skin scraping and hope to find a mite in the scraping (this is not easy). Mange mites do emit a sort of sweetish odor, so this would be another giveaway. Of course this could also be caused by a fungus or bacterial infection, however the lesions should have improved with the antibiotics given. You will need to take Buster back to your veterinarian for a recheck.

Oh my. Poor girl. This doesn't sound like your typical hot spot/abscess due to trauma. There is an underlying factor here. Some possible causes are: an autoimmune skin condition, a resistant bacterial infection, skin cancer, or a mite infection with subsequent skin infections. I would highly recommend starting with a skin biopsy, which will give you a lot of information on the underlying cause and what treatment is needed. A skin bacterial culture should also be considered to determine if there is a resitant bacteria growing on Cali's skin that is not susceptible to the antibiotics tried so far. After these tests are done we should have a good idea or what we are dealing with and what treatment will likely resolve it. Best of luck with Cali and her skin woes. I hope things clear up soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be benign or malignant growths. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

I am sorry to hear about Roman! I would consider asking your vet if the area needs a bacterial culture and sensitivity. This is a test that identifies the organism causing the infection and the antibiotics that are best suited to treat the infection. We can sometimes get infections with organisms that are resisitant to the more common bacterias (you may have heard of one called MRSA). So it is a good idea if an infection isn't clearing to do a culture. It is also possible his course of antibiotics wasn't long enough to completely clear the infection. Another possibility would be the presence of a foreign body in skin causing a pocket of infection. If the abscess keeps returning your vet may need to do surgery to open the area and be sure no foreign body (like a splinter or grass awn) is present.

It is difficult for me to give you much advice without having more information but I will try my best. His skin may be getting worse due to an idiosyncratic drug reaction. The antibiotics may not be agreeing with him. A change to a different class of antibiotic may be all that is needed. The antibiotic he was prescribed may not be the correct one for this particular bacterial infection (if it is a bacterial infection). A culture and sensitivity of the crusty lesions on the head may need to be done in order to find out what bacteria are there and what antibiotic will be most effective. This may be a fungal skin infection (or yeast) and not a bacterial infection) hence why the antibiotic is not working. Antibiotics do not treat fungus or yeast. In young dogs I would be worried that this is a secondary infection of the skin from mange mites. It can be seen in older dogs as well but it is much more common in youngsters. So, I would have your vet do a skin scraping to check for mites. This could be an autoimmune disorder (like pemphigus). A biopsy of the affected area would be needed for diagnosis. That is all I can come up with right off the top of my head. I hope this helps to give you some things to bring up with your vet. Best wishes!

If you and Savage have gone through that many rounds of treatment at such a young age, I would consider getting more aggressive with the diagnostics and treatments to get to bottom of the problem You should consult your regular vet to see what testing they can perform at their clinic before you get referred to a dermatologist specialist. They can take skin scrapings or do a skin biopsy or start allergy testing to find the underlying cause of her problems.

These sores could be caused by a skin infection that was just starting when you first say your vet, but is now worse and needs treatment. The sores could also be caused by parasites, allergies, or even be wounds. I recommend scheduling another appointment with your veterinarian so they can see what her skin looks like now. Also ask your veterinarian about the aspirin usage - there are better and safer medications available for arthritis that they may be able to get for you. Good luck!