Shiba Inu toe cyst won't heal with antibiotics. Need a second opinion?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The wound and swelling could be caused by a foreign body, like a splinter or a piece of grass seed that penetrated under the skin. If there is no improvement to antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications, Hjalmar should have the swelling lanced and flushed under sedation.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While this is possible, keep in mind that there could also be something like an abscess going on. Other possibilities include a mass or tumor. I would encourage you to have Cooper evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check on this and recommend therapy accordingly. Best of luck!

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.

If it is bothering Joey enough to cause him to lick it, the first thing you need to do is prevent him from continuing that type of behavior. The best thing you can get for this is an e-collar or cone. While it makes them look ridiculous, they are effective at preventing self-mutilation and worsening infections. You can also make home made ones, which are illustrated for you on You tube. If you are truly dealing with a cyst like structure, these tend to increase in size until the point of rupture, they drain, and then they refill. It is impossible to tell what this is based on this picture, but it certainly might be a cyst. The best way to ascertain the origin of the lesion is with a biopsy or a fine needle aspirate. While a biopsy is certain the gold standard, it is much more invasive and costly than allowing your vet to obtain a needle aspirate. The aspirate will get your vet some cellular material to view on the microscope that will at least give him an idea of whether or not the lesion is something that he/she should be worrying about it. Whether or not this is the route you go with, the area is likely mildly infected and causing Joey some pain. He would probably benefit from antibiotics and pain management. Hope this helps and that Joey gets well soon!

Poor Panda! I would expect to see some improvement in his toe within 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment, and it is concerning that his infection is still bad. You can talk with the vet about giving it a few more days, but the concern is the infection can spread. Other options besides removing the toe include culturing the area to get the exact bacteria causing his infection and then using antibiotics that kill that bacteria in the hopes getting rid of the infection, or taking him into another vet today for a second opinion. You can speak to the vet about doing a culture on his infected toe, but it may be in the end that removing the toe is best. I'm sorry I can't give you an exact answer, but I hope this was helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m sorry to hear Lollipop is having skin issues. If her issue has been so persistent, if she hasn’t had more focused diagnostic testing, I would recommend considering doing a culture to try to isolate any yeast or bacteria that is causing her issue, and possibly a skin biopsy to ensure that it is secondary to an allergy. If it is an allergy, there is a new injection that is used to treat allergies called Cytopoint. I would recommend reaching out to your regular veterinarian to discuss either further testing or treatment that she may need. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The antibiotics are probably not working because there is another underlying problem such as allegies. Or perhaps it is not healing because Bini is licking at it constantly. I’d recommend an E-collar at all times for at least 7 days and talking with your veterinarian about adding a course of steroids to decrease swelling, inflammation and pain. If this really is a resistant bacteria, topical antiseptics such as chlorhexidine or betadine will be more effective. Soak the foot in a diluted solution of one of those once to twice daily for 5 minutes, then dry very thoroughly. Best wishes to you and Bini!