Why does my puppy's abscess keep returning despite 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.

It looks like it could be an infected interdigital cyst, and if it’s happening in the same place it could be a resistant bacteria. There also might be foreign material like a stick in the area, or it could even be an infected tumor. Tabby might need a culture, or she might need to have this lesion removed. You may need to travel to see a different veterinarian if you feel like you’re not getting the care Tabby needs.

Hello. If your veterinarian has no cultured the lesion, it is time to do so. Mac may have a resistant bacterial infection, or perhaps, even a fungal infection that may require a change in medications. Another concern is there could be a foreign object that penetrated the skin & is causing these recurrent infections. A grass awn, or even a broken claw can basically disappear under the skin creating chronic infections. I would probably start with an x-ray to see if anything is visible & submit a sample for culture & sensitivity. Last resort would be to open the area, explore & possibility biopsy some of the tissue to understand why this is not healing. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. In such a young dog, I am not necessarily concerned about an internal issue such as a metabolic disease or cancer, but more so a still maturing immune system. This might just be a simple issue of boosting immunity, especially gut immunity with added probiotics. Gut-associated lymphoid tissue ( GALT ) has been getting more attention lately, both in animals & people to improve overall health. Adding a probiotic like Fortiflora may be a great idea. And to reduce skin bacteria, bathing Remy in an antibacterial shampoo, one with 4% chlorhexidine once or twice a week is recommended. It goes against convention to bathe a dog this frequently, but it is sometimes needed & it definitely cuts back on the need for oral antibiotics. Try this for a couple of months & see if the lesions stop. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would agree that it appears their is an infection on the skin, but I could not say for sure if this is a Staph infection. These are somewhat common to the skin, but without a culture of the affected region we are truly just taking a best guess. If the condition seemed to resolve and is now coming back, the course of antibiotics that was utilized may have been successful but too short. Recommencing the antibiotics should be discussed with the veterinarian. I would also see about getting her on medication for the itchiness, as well as fitting her with a collar to prevent any self-mutilation. Another possibility is that we are simply dealing with a superficial puppy pyoderma. This is a fancy way of saying simply puppy skin irritation. Many times these can be annoying but will eventually resolve on their own as the dog gets older. Since you are seeing erupting lesions, I tend to lean more towards a true, treatable infectious process. Lastly, I would definitely stop using hydrogen peroxide. Although it may have antiseptic properties, this can actually delay healing in some cases. If you want to scrub the area, I would use something like dilute betadine or chlorhexidine solution. Hope this helps!

Many problems can cause abscesses such as puncture wounds, migrating foreign object, bone infection, and even a sterile inflammatory disorder called panniculitis. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian and consider an x-ray and culture of the wound as the next step. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor girl. I do feel that culturing this area would be best, that way we know what antibiotic is needed to rid the bacteria present for sure. Especially after being on the same antibiotic for 28 days already. Re-infection of an area is also likely if the pet continues to lick at it. Therefore, if the infection is completely gone, you have to then treat the pets itch. If we are licking our feet due to allergies, then the underlying allergy should be addressed by keeping her on allergy medication. Discuss with your vet about the options of either Cytopoint injections or Apoquel to help manage her allergies. Also soaking her paws in Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted 1:10 with water daily can help soothe her paws and remove any allergens she picks up on her feet from outside. Chlorhexidine wipes can also be purchase and used to help with this. In the meantime, I would opt to go with a stronger antibiotic prescribed by your vet, perhaps Simplicef should be tried, until you can decide on further testing/treatment. I would also highly recommend having Bini tested for thyroid disease, which can cause chronic skin infections, lethargy and weight gain in dogs. I hope that this helps and best of luck with your pet Bini and her apparent allergies. Take care! : )