Staph Infection going on 2.5 months - Need Advice
 

I just don't know what to do :confused:

On March 27, I noticed Roxy had a about 3 little red pimples by her pee area. I thought it was b/c I had't wash her privates in a few days and/or she was sleeping all wrapped up in a fleece blanket and it was just too warm for her. I gave it 2 weeks and it cleared, but then when I groomed her (shaved her belly) they started to come back, so I started to wash her belly and privates every morning and every night. The pimples would clear for a few days and then another would appear. All this while and even before over the winter Roxy has started to itch. I have them on a Raw food diet, so I don't believe this is a food allergy.

On May 19, I took her to the Vet, for shots and to talk about these pimples. He said she has a mild staph infection, he said it is probably a result of her itching over the winter probably from allergies of some sort, maybe around the house. Gave me clavomox (2x a day) for 10 days and hydroxyzine (antihistamine) 2x a day for 10 days.

Day 8 of Clavomox - Roxy develops pure mucus poop. I continued the antibiotics 2 more days, and Roxy had mucus water poop for the next 2 weeks.

Her pimples sort of clear, not gone all the way, but looking better. But she is starting to itch alot again. June 11 I picked up some more hydroxyzine to give for another 10 days.

I bathed her on Saturday 6/16 with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo, and I made sure to really scrub her skin and rinse her really well too. But I also shaved her belly again. Her skin looked really good until tonight. Since all this happened, I have started to really inspect Roxy's skin, I checked every inch of her skin tonight and I have found alot of the little red spots, some pimple (pus) like and a handful that the pus must of opened and dried and is orangish dry flakes.

She is sleeping now, I gave her the antihistamine around 7 pm. She will still scratch here and there, but her skin broke out alot, not just on her belly, but her right front arm, down both sides of her back, by her back legs, her butt, her neck.

I just don't know what to do for her. I don't want to keep putting her on antibiotics, especially if they give her mucus poop for a long time.

I went searching online and read to keep her skin clean. And I found this:
http://petsbestrx.com/ingredients.htm

Should I bring her back to the Vet :confused: :confused: :confused:

Can anyone relate? The Vet did tell me that this may come and go her whole entire life :eek: :eek: :eek:

I just want her to be better, the itching has got to be beyond aggravating for her!

What to do - What to do???

I bought this shampoo for my atopic dermatitis dog dee dee and it is a good shampoo - i have the orange one for staph - honestly though do not wash too much as it will aggravate - for bacteria infections which is staph u may need to use keta chlor from vet as my dermatologist said it has best results as opposed to malaseb. Keta chlor is an antiseptic and anti bacterial hypoallergenic shampoo for skin infections. What you are describing is the probs i have with dee dee - how old is your pup? as allergies happen from 6 mos -3 years - go to a dermatologist as they are far more educated than a vet and save your money but getting to a specialist as it sounds like your pup may have allergies such as atopic dermatitis. Dee Dee just had crusties all over her skin and she was on simplecef and they have to be on an antibiotic for 21 days to kill an infection or it will come back. Simplecef is expensive but it worked and easier on stomach than clavamox.

I just remembered that the dermatologist said to put neosporin on the pimples when you see them as well

don't know too much about it TLC but I just had a thought. When you bring her to the surgeon make sure you point them out to her and perhaps there's a dermatologist in the group. Good way to sneak in a visit while you're there!

I also know if there's any kind of skin lesions they usually won't operate. Make sure Dr. Hinton is aware of where they are on Roxy so she can check.

Hugs.....

Poor baby - that's really strange. Could there be something outside or in the house that she's coming into contact with ? Laundry soap maybe ? Do you treat your yard ? Rugs ??? I'd be going nuts trying to figure out how to solve that kind of problem and I hope you find answers....What about some Cortizone cream ??? that's susposed to be really good for the itchies.

Thanks everyone for your responses. Roxy is 2.5 years old. Over the winter she had dry skin. She also had really really bad red tearing. I bought Eqyess Med. Shampoo cause I read it on here. I bathed her a few times with it (every 2 weeks) and I would use it to try to get those red tear stains to go away. Well, it wasn't working, in fact it seemed to make her dry skin worse, and now she has started to itch a lot.

So that's when I started with the Raw Food. And I bought a sensitive skin shampoo from Espree. Then the pimples began, and more itching.

I started to give her 1/2 of a fish oil capsule. I bought Organic Virgin Unrefined Coconut oil. Then to the Vet and got the Clavomox. And all that I wrote from above.

So, I did a little searching last night online and I think that the Eqyess shampoo was really bad. It has Sodium Laurel Sulfate, which I read can cause more skin problems.

I am going to get some Grapefruit Seed Extract today which I have been reading is an excellent anti-bacterial soultion, and I am going to add a drop to another all natural shampoo I bought Wholistic Heavenly Herbal Pet Shampoo (contains no Sodium Laurel Sulfate).

Lastnight, I dipped a q-tip in Tea Tree Oil and then I let in sit in a small cup of water. I dabbed this soultion on every single red spot or pimple I could find on Roxy. This morning, the spots were a lot better. I had to put a tiny bit more on only 2 - they seemed to have been more at a pus pimple stage. She was still itching this morning, so I did give her the hydrozyzine pill.

Yorkiemalt, I was thinking the same thing. I do have Roxy scheduled for surgery next Weds., but I want Dr. Hinton to examine Roxy and I want to show her the pimples and explain that the Clavomox didn't work, and it made her sick as well. I want to see if a Derm. can see her and I will suggest the Simplecef that dwerten recommended in her posts.

And than lastly, I think I will suggest we postpone her LP surgery. I don't want to take any changes, and being that she had a big flare up lastnight when I got home worries me. I'd rather try to keep her cleaned up and to try another round of antibiotics and see if we can get her immune system to a better place than it is right now and then do surgery. :)

I will let you all know what happens tonight. I have a 4 pm appt. I probably won't be able to get back on here until about 7 or 8 pm.

Just got home from seeing Dr. Hinton. We both felt that it was best to postpone her re-LP surgery until Labor Day Weekend. She doesn't want this 'mild' case of skin infection to turn into a 'major' knee infection.

She felt it is seasonal allergies and it should clear up and in the fall she will be better suited for major sugery. So, yes it is confirmed that Roxy's left leg is now luxating again. Not big time, but her knee cap 'can' slip out from time to time. Dr. Hinton said it probably doesn't do it often, but from time to time if she happens to be in a certain postion it can.

As far as the skin infection, she gave me Cephalexin for 2 weeks. She had the Simplecef but the pill would have to be cut into 8 pieces :eek: So the Cephalexin is liquid and easier for me to give.

Keep your :xfingers: for us ;)

I hope the new medication works! That poor girl is having a tough time of it lately....:hug:

Sorry about the knee TLC....:hug:

Thanks Kim...Do you remember what I said yesterday???

"Part of me wishes Dr. Hinton would say she doesn't need surgery"

I wish it were completely true, but since she still needs it, I want Roxy to be 100% healthy for it :) The time was just not now :rolleyes:

I remember TLC....I was hoping against all hope that she'd be fine.

sorry Roxy is having bad skin problems. It was best for her to postpone her surgery so that a huge infection won't occur. The surgeon i work for would have done the same thing. Whenever we find a bad skin infection we hold off on surgery until it clears up a lot.

i do think seeing a dermatologist would help if the cepha doesn't clear up the staph infection. It could be that Roxy has just developed allergies and your vet is right, it could keep showing up for the rest of her life.

Good luck with the new ABs and hopefully her infection will clear up by labor day weekend and she can have her LP surgery.

I know with tea tree oil it helped a golden I had a few years back, he would get hot spots all the time and I bought some plain tea tree oil at walmart and put it in his shampoo and he never had another hot spot at all...they say tea tree oil will cure anything...I hope she gets better soon, bless her little heart...:)

Aww, I hope things get better for Roxy soon. You are being a great mommy, looking into ways to help her. Hopefully you'll find a solution soon. Could she have any food alergies that are making her itch? :confused:

Get well wishes for Roxy, hope it all clears up and fast. I noticed you mentioned Staph infection...was a culture done, with a sensitivity, to show which antibiotic will fight this particular germ? And my other thought was you mentioned after grooming/shaving it may seem worse...have you tried to sterilize your grooming equipment? With Staph they need only a small opening or wound to cause an outbreak, such as razor burn...and then of course if she itches...it spreads. I don't know if this will help at all, but it may be worth a try. I truly do wish Roxy well, but not all infections respond to the same antibiotics...a culture will tell the vet a lot. Good luck!!!

Thanks for the suggestion to sterilize, I am going to do that from now on.
I do have to say that this new antib. Cephalexin is working. Also today I will bath her and I am going to add a drop of Grapefruit Seed Extract to the bottle. ;)