Skin Infection

[Jean]

One of my doodles has been diagnosed with a skin infection. They are giving him Antibiotics and Benydrl. I am not a fan of Pharma products and was wondering if anyone has had any issues with skin infections. Muskie is his name and he has scabs all over his belly and is itching like crazy. Not sure how he got this or what it is. Would like to treat with a natural product, but also want to give him some relief. He is a raw dog and does not eat kibbles, never has.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Jean, you might want to come over to The Food Group. We have had several discussions about Food and Allergies and Kibble and Seasonal Allergies. Itchy skin can be from food, but it also can be seasonal or from cleaning products or other things. You should try to discover what is causing the problem. Drugs, whether prescription or holistic might only treat the symptoms not the cause.

[Jean]

I will join the Food Group. I really do want to figure out the cause. He has had problems in the past seasonally, but it would go away once the weather changed. I am concerned that this may have something to do with either what he is eating, which has never been a problem or perhaps the new carpet we just put in the house. Thanks for the response.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jean, please do come talk to us in the Food Group. You may also want to read this discussion about my doodle's allergy problems:
http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/all-about-allergies

Please keep in mind that seasonal allergies are almost always from common every day allergens such as mold, pollen, dust mites, etc. Dogs don't sneeze & get respiratory issues like we do...they itch, intensely. The scratching & biting leads to the secondary skin infections. Food is never the culprit in seasonal allergies, especially if you are not feeding kibble, and although we hear a lot about chemicals in rugs, toys, etc., the problem is usually something more ordinary. In addition, allergies take about a year to develop after repeated exposure; so it is definitely not the carpet.
Keep in mind that "natural" simply means "from or of nature". Many drugs, including antibiotics, are made from plants. In nature, "wild" dogs die from skin infections. Sometimes pharmaceuticals save lives. In the case of severe atopy, which my doodle suffers from, they are the ONLY choice. We need to stop the suffering and further damage to the skin while we are finding the causes.
Come talk to me in The Food Group! Hope your doodle is better soon!

[Jean]

I read your thread!!! Gosh I wonder if I need to put Muskie through this? He is full of scabs all over his chest. I have been treating with a lotion that the vet gave me and found it seems to make it worse. Last night I took him to the vet and we are now on antibiotics for the infection. Did you ever use benedryl? I am very concerned about him. Did the vet do the allergy testing? or is there someone else? There is a holistic vet near out house that I thought of taking him to, but not sure if I should stick with the vet.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hopefully, your doodle does not have what Jack has; I had many dogs over the years who were bothered by minor seasonal allergies, and they were easily controlled with antihistamines, & other temporary treatments, with no ill effects. My last dog lived to be 16.
Jackdoodle is under the care of a board-certified veterinary dermatology & immunology specialist, who did the testing. My regular vets, who referred me to her, would have kept giving him steroids.
Jack takes a different antihistamine and also EFA's in the form of primrose oil capsules; fish oil caps work well, too. Neither is harmful in the long-term. But when he flares, he needs more.
I must tell you that I had a foster many years ago whose adoptive owner tried everything...holistic vets, human doctors, acupuncturists...nothing helped. Thankfully, we have better treatments available now.

[Jean]

I am going to see how the antibiotics work and if it clears I will be thankful. If it flares up after clearing I will look into verterinary dermatology and immunology. Thanks for your help.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good luck, Jean, I truly hope Muskie just had a little reaction to something. And please do join us in The Food Group!

[Jean]

I have joined the group and will keep you posted.

[Adina P]

I love medicine =) I'm not good at taking it...but I believe in it within reason.

Because pretty much all of it started off as natural. Natural doesn't mean safe necessarily and artificial doesn't mean dangerous. Whatever the cause, IF it is a bacterial infection antibiotics can do a lot of good. If it is itchy and the dog scratches it could TURN INTO a bacterial infection and thus antibiotics again can do good. And benadryl is a pretty common over the counter medication...if it gives him relief that would be a wonderful thing!

Not saying to ignore the cause or not dig deeper, but symptom treatment is not a bad thing to do on the side. Did the vet say what KIND of infection he thought it was? Any name for it?

[Jackie]

Beckett had a bacterial skin infection a month ago. The vet treated it with an antibiotic and it went right away. I think for some things meds are a good idea. I think, for Beck's infection, he needed an antibiotic for it to clear up. The vet said they didn't know how he got it. But said, like us, they always have bacteria on their skin . He's been fine since.