Golden Retriever With Recurring Belly Hot Spots That No Longer Respond to Antibiotics

by Eric
(BUCYRUS, OH, USA)

Reader Question

We have tried everything! 9 yr old Golden has had allergies to food since puppy. Went from Fromm puppy food to Duck and Sweet Potato. Have tried most recently Grain Free Fromm. He has had hot spots on belly from time to time and was prescribed Cephalexin to calm it down. He became immune to this and had what looked like a yeast growing under his tail. we would wash it frequently as it smelled worse than anal glands. We went to Vet. and she said she thought it wasn't systemic and said try giving him Cephalexin every other week. We asked if it was fungal in nature and she dais she wouldn't treat it for that as he would have liver problems and not want to eat. My Golden is 9 yrs and weighs 110 lb. He came home as a puppy with corona virus and we managed to keep him alive through that ordeal. He has sp? urethral distruser dissinurgea and takes a compounding drug called phenoxybenzamine when the symptoms occur. Ex a steroid shot will trigger this. extreme cold weather. ( he is an inside dog) We have bathed him 2-3 times a week for the last 2 weeks and nothing is improving. Some of the pictures below are when he comes out of the tub and others are when he is dry and scabbing/crusting. He has hypothyroid and is treated with Levothyroxine.

Three years ago he had a fully torn ACL surgery and then again this Spring

for a torn Meniscus same knee. The sores are red and inflamed and they tend to itch. We have treated with Tea tree spray to calm itching and have tried Benedryl to calm as well.

The sores, when dry tend to flake layers of skin on top and fall off into clumps of hair. The hair is thin in some spots but not balding. Please help us find some answers. We have tried DermaBenss that contains Benzyl Peroxide and sp? cellycellic acid...

Answer from Our Team

When skin infections stop responding to an antibiotic they used to clear, the bacteria may have become resistant, which is more likely after repeated courses. Ask your vet for a bacterial culture and sensitivity test so treatment is based on what is actually growing rather than repeated on-and-off courses, and about relying more on medicated shampoos and sprays, which current guidelines prefer for surface infections.

A strong smell under the tail can come from yeast, which your vet can confirm with a simple tape or swab test. Skin yeast is usually treated with medicated shampoos and wipes rather than tablets. Since he has a long history of food allergy and low thyroid, a referral to a veterinary dermatologist could help pull everything together.

Please stop the tea tree spray. Tea tree oil can poison dogs, and it's absorbed more through broken skin. Antihistamines also help only a minority of allergic dogs.

See hot spots on dogs and yeast infections on dogs' skin.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Skin.

PLEASE FOLLOW US ON

Golden Retriever With Recurring Belly Hot Spots That No Longer Respond to Antibiotics

Most Popular