Dog Has a Terrible Skin Infection

A visitor's dog has a terrible skin infection. Has the vet tried every avenue to figure out what the cause is?

My Mother has a Pekingese, and it has been having continual skin problems. The dog’s skin has developed heavy scales and it's losing its hair.

A month ago I had the vet do a blood work up and everything, including senior dog tests, was good. However, the urine test revealed a kidney infection and blood in the urine. After two weeks of antibiotics the skin was getting much better, but now she is even worse than before.

Do you think it is something else, or should we visit the vet for another urine test? Can kidney infections cause this heavy of a skin disorder? It is terrible with scales all over her body?

Thanks in advance~~ Howard

Expert Reply

Hello Howard,

I am not a vet, so by all means have a follow up visit with your vet to have further testing done.

That said, I'll offer a few thoughts. There's an outside chance that this is more than just a kidney infection. If the kidneys are sufficiently compromised they can't filter toxins efficiently. As a dog's system becomes more run down, it's harder to fight off secondary infections such as skin infections.

You say the dog was on antibiotics for two weeks and the condition was improving, but then suddenly took a decline. Is there a possibility that the meds were discontinued too soon or doses were missed? If so, that would allow the bacteria to overwhelm the antibiotic, rendering it ineffective. If this is the case, your vet will need to prescribe a stronger antibiotic to continue treatment.

There's also a chance that the skin condition is completely unrelated to the kidney problem. Although Pekes are not usually candidates for a condition commonly called Sebaceous Adenitis (S.A.), this disease does cause scaly sores and hair loss. Cushing's disease also causes hair loss, but it is usually very symmetrical, appearing in mirror locations on either side of the body.

Do you know if your dog was tested for any food allergies during the battery of tests your vet performed? It's definitely worth looking into, because scaling can be related to allergies.

As you can see, it's going to take a vet to diagnose the cause of the infection and decide the most effective way to treat it. The best you can do is take the dog back in for a follow up.

My best wishes for your dog's recovery~~ Kelly

Hi,

My dog is nearly eight months old. He is a Mini Dachshund. His diet consists of all natural chicken and brown rice hard food and Merrick's Wingaling Chicken canned food (all natural) fed twice daily. He also receives his Puppy Nutrical vitamin daily.

However, I recently found some scabs on him. I thought it was from the other dog playing with him, but I am beginning to feel I am wrong. I am finding these flaky scabs around his neck and shoulder and on the leg and one on the groin area. I have been giving him a bath weekly for the past two weeks trying to get rid of the dandruff. I use the shampoo EQyss natural botanical shampoo and then I spray him with the EQyss premier natural botanical pet rehydrant spray. Should I try to use something else, or is this another type skin problem? Should I put an egg in his food? Should I use head and Shoulders shampoo, or will that irritate the scabs? Please help my lil sunshine!

~~ Linda

Expert Reply

Hi Linda,

I think your best course of action would be to let your vet take a look at your dog's skin lesions in order to get an exact diagnosis. This would lead to a more effective treatment.

There's a possibility that, although you feed your dog very well, he could be allergic to one or more types of food found in the formulas you're currently feeding. This could be one explanation for the scabbing.

Your dog might also be allergic to something in his environment, so your vet will want to look at the problem from this angle too.

Finally, the are some hereditary skin disease such as Sebasceous Adenitis (SA) that also cause the kind of scabbing you describe. As you can see, skin problems can be difficult to diagnose because there are just so many causes.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to use the Head and Shoulders shampoo on your dog. The zinc pyrithione in the formula is beneficial and will help stop any itching.

Thanks for your question, and I hope your vet is able to quickly diagnose the problem.

~~ Kelly.

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