Why does my dog s skin infection keep coming back

Abscesses in Dogs: Causes and Treatment Options

Common Causes of Abscesses in Dogs

Normally, a dogs skin surface contains normal bacterial and fungal microflora that does not cause any harm to the animal. Any break on the skin barrier due to injuries such as an animal bite or scratches can allow these microorganisms to enter the deeper layers of the skin and cause an infection.

Other injuries that can result in abscess formation are any penetrating wounds from pointed foreign objects such as a needle, branches, sticks, grass seeds, and insect bites such as from ticks and mosquitoes. Previous infections such as superficial pyoderma or dermatophytosis (ringworm) can also lead to abscess formation in dogs.

Several species of bacteria can penetrate the skin and cause infection and eventual abscess formation. Some species of bacteria commonly isolated from skin abscesses in dogs are:

• Pus-forming bacterial species such as Staphylococcus intermedius, Pseudomonas, Mycoplasma, Escherichia coli, Bartonella, Nocardia, Pasteurella multocida, and Actinomyces.
• Anaerobic bacterial species (bacteria that only grow in the absence of oxygen) like Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, and Clostridium.

How can I tell if my dog has an abscess?

Most symptoms associated with skin abscess in dogs are confined on the skin only, but some can cause severe discomfort that often results in a more generalized symptom such as a decrease in appetite, weakness, reluctance to move, and fever.

Skin abscesses will often have severe inflammation around the site, and excessive licking and chewing may be observed in affected dogs. Alopecia or hair loss can be seen in the areas of the skin abscess.

More specific symptoms and signs will vary depending on where the abscess is located. Limping and movement problems may be seen in dogs with abscesses near the joints because of the pain resulting from movement or joint use. This can also be observed in skin abscesses found on the paws or between the toes.

How are abscesses treated in dogs?

Skin abscesses in dogs require drainage to be completely treated. This can be done by a vet as a short and non-invasive outpatient procedure. Most cases will only require local anesthesia, but larger skin abscesses may need sedation or general anesthesia.

Drainage is essential in treating skin abscesses to facilitate the complete removal of pus and thorough cleaning and disinfection of the area. Incomplete and improper drainage increases the risks of recurrence of skin abscess in dogs. However, drainage alone is not enough to completely treat a skin abscess.

Systemic antibacterial medications, either given orally on a daily basis or in a long-acting injectable form, are needed to further control and eliminate the infection. Your vet may put your dog on antibiotics for at least two weeks or longer, depending on the size and severity of the skin abscess.

Anti-inflammatory medications, such as NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) may also be indicated, especially if theres substantial inflammation around the abscess site or theres noticeable pain from the skin abscess.

Regular follow-ups visits with your vet are important to make sure that the abscess site is healing properly. An Elizabethan collar is usually recommended during treatment to prevent the dog from licking and chewing on the site and delay the healing, or worse, cause further injuries and make the condition worse.

Larger or recurrent abscesses may require complete removal - a relatively more invasive surgical procedure. Surgical removal of skin abscess will require general anesthesia but are often still an outpatient procedure. Larger skin abscesses that require removal may also need subsequent surgical skin repair, especially for those located in parts of the body with limited available skin.

What to Do if a Skin Abscess Ruptures

There are occasions where a skin abscess will rupture before a dog owner can bring their pet to a veterinarian. In such cases, immediate first aid treatment is necessary to prevent the skin problem from becoming worse.

A ruptured abscess needs to be cleaned and disinfected right away. Ideally, clipping the hair around the abscess site will allow for a more thorough cleaning and disinfecting. Wipe away any pus around the site with a clean cloth or paper towel and wash the area with clean water and gentle soap. Topical chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine solution application over the ruptured abscess should be sufficient enough to keep it disinfected until you can bring your dog to a veterinary clinic.

Occasionally, a ruptured abscess will bleed, the extent of which depends on how large the skin abscess is. Applying pressure over the abscess for a couple of minutes after cleaning and disinfecting can help control the bleeding. If the bleeding is profuse, its best to bring your dog to a vet as soon as possible.

How to Prevent Skin Abscesses in Dogs

Since most skin abscesses are due to a break on the skin from an injury, the best way to prevent skin abscess formation is to make sure injuries of this nature are avoided. Make sure that your dog does not have access to any object that can puncture or lacerate their skin. Regular tick and flea preventive medications will also help reduce insect bites and decrease the risks of skin abscesses in dogs.

Read more:

What to Expect When Your Pet has a Wound

How to Examine Your Pet at Home: A Step-By-Step Guide

How to Give Your Dog Oral Medication

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Yeast Infections In Dogs: What Are They, And How Can They Be Treated?

Key points

• All dogs naturally have a small amount of yeast on their skin and in their ears, but in some cases, this yeast can overgrow and cause problems
• Most yeast infections are caused by an underlying health condition, such as skin allergies or a hormone condition
• Your vet will need to run tests to work out when a yeast infection is present, and to determine what underlying health condition has caused it
• There are several different treatments available, depending on how much of your dogs body is affected.

Common in

Dogs of all ages, especially those with skin allergies

Dogs Yeast Infection Symptoms & types

Most yeast infections in dogs are caused by Malassezia pachydermatis. This is a type of yeast that is naturally found living on dogs skin in small numbers and usually causes no problems.

However, if a dogs skin is weakened for some reason, then these yeasts may start to grow out of control. This can cause irritation and inflammation in the skin, leading to the symptoms of a yeast infection. These include:

• Redness
• Itchiness
• Flaky skin
• Crusts forming over the skin
• Thickening and hardening of the skin
• A musty smell

Yeast infections are common in dogs and are usually caused by an underlying issue such as a skin allergy or hormone condition.

Yeast infections are most common on the skin of the torso (particular in the groin or armpits) or in the ear, but they can happen anywhere on the body.

However, none of these symptoms are specific to yeast infections. This means that your veterinarian will need to run tests to confirm whether a yeast infection is present.

Possible Causes

Many different health conditions can weaken the skin and lead to a yeast infection. These include:

Understanding the diagnostics

Your veterinarian will need to run some tests to diagnose your dog with a yeast infection, which involves taking samples from the infected area. They will also need to run some different tests to work out what has caused your dog to develop a yeast infection.

You must see a veterinarian if you are worried about your dog, or if the mucus in their stools doesnt resolve after a day or two.

Diagnosing the infection

Cytology

Your veterinarian can take a sample from the infected area using either a cotton swab or some sticky tape. They will then stain the sample with a special dye, place it on a slide, and examine it under a microscope. If they see large numbers of yeast cells in the sample, then it is likely that your dog has a yeast infection.

Culture

Using a sterile swab, your veterinarian can take a sample from the infected area and send it off to an external laboratory. They will attempt to grow any bacteria or yeast that are present in the sample, and then identify them so that they can be treated.

This is usually more expensive and time-consuming than using cytology but allows your veterinarian to check for any bacteria at the same time. It is common for bacterial infections and yeast infections to happen at the same time, and choosing the right antibiotic for the bacteria is very important.

Most yeast infections are caused by an underlying illness, such as a skin allergy or a hormone condition.

Diagnosing the underlying cause

There are many different tests that your veterinarian may recommend to diagnose the underlying cause, depending on exactly what illness they think is most likely. These are some of the most common ones.

Blood tests

A general blood panel can be used to look for signs of an underlying illness that might be affecting your dogs immune system and causing the yeast infection. There are also specialized blood panels available to check your dogs thyroid gland.

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings disease) requires a dynamic blood test to diagnose. This involves taking one blood sample, then giving your dog an injection of a synthetic hormone and taking another one or two blood samples some time later to measure how their body responds. Your dog will usually need to stay at the clinic while this test is being done.

Biopsy

Taking a biopsy of the skin can sometimes be useful to check for other causes of itchy skin, or to look for an underlying condition that might cause a yeast infection. This is usually done under sedation or general anesthesia and involves using a sharp punch tool to take several circular samples of skin. These are then sent to the lab for examination.

Allergy testing

If your veterinarian suspects that a skin allergy (atopy) may be the cause of your dogs yeast infection, then they may suggest some special testing for allergies. This may be a blood test, which can normally be done by your regular veterinarian, or an intradermal skin test, which is usually done by a veterinary dermatologist.

If the underlying illness is not treated, then it is likely that the yeast infection will keep coming back.

Learning About The Causes

Many different illnesses can cause your dog to develop a yeast infection. These are some of the most common ones.

Skin allergies

Skin allergies are very common in dogs, and certain breeds are at a higher risk due to their genetics. Allergies may be triggered by food, or by things in the dogs environment, such as pollen, dust mites, or fleas. They cause inflammation in the skin, which weakens it and causes it to become leaky. This makes the skin itchy and allows bacteria and yeast to overgrow, which is even more irritating.

Hypothyroidism

This is a hormone condition that is most commonly seen in middle-aged dogs, where the thyroid gland gradually stops working properly. This leads to low levels of thyroid hormones in your dogs blood, which can have effects throughout the body. This includes thinning and weakening of the skin, and also weakening of the immune system. Both of these can lead to yeast infections.

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings disease)

This is another hormone condition that is usually seen in older dogs. It is caused by a growth in your dogs pituitary gland or adrenal gland, which leads to high levels of a hormone called cortisol in your dogs body.

Cortisol has many different effects, including weakening the immune system and making the skin thinner and more fragile. These changes make it more likely that your dog will develop a yeast infection.

Scaling disorders

These are a group of genetic conditions where the outer layer of the skin does work properly. This leads to flaky skin, and sometimes an oiliness, too. These changes mean that dogs are more likely to develop skin infections, which includes yeast infections.

A weak immune system

Many different serious illnesses will weaken your dogs immune system, meaning they are no longer able to fight off infections properly. These illnesses include:

• Cancers
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Heart disease

Yogurt is not effective at treating yeast infections in dogs. In fact, many dogs are lactose intolerant, so feeding them yogurt may cause an upset stomach.

Best Treatment Options

The best kind of treatment for a yeast infection will depend on where the infection is, and on how much of the dogs body is affected.

Ear drops

Medicated ear drops are often the best treatment for yeast infections in the ear. These drops usually contain an antibiotic, an antifungal (which will kill the yeast), and a steroid medication to soothe the inflammation in the ear.

These treatments are usually very effective and have few side effects as long as the dogs eardrum is intact.

Ointment

If your dog has a small patch of skin that is affected by a yeast infection, then your veterinarian may prescribe a cream or ointment for you to use. This may just contain an antifungal medication, or it may also contain an antibiotic and a steroid, similar to the ear drops mentioned above.

You should always wear gloves when applying these kinds of ointments to your dogs skin.

Shampoo

If large areas of your dogs skin are affected by a yeast infection, your vet may recommend a medicated shampoo for you to use. These usually have to be applied and they stay on the dogs skin for a few minutes as a lather before being rinsed off.

Initially, these may need to be applied quite often, but in the longer term, they can be used once every few weeks to prevent an infection from coming back.

Oral medication

For serious or long-term yeast infections, your veterinarian may recommend an oral anti-fungal treatment. These may be tablets, capsules, or liquids, and may be given every day or only a couple of times a week.

These treatments can be very effective, but many antifungal medications can affect the liver, especially if used at high doses or for a long time. Your veterinarian will do regular blood tests to check your dogs liver function, both before and after they start the medication.

Conclusion

Yeast infections can be irritating to our dogs. They are often caused by an underlying health condition and may keep coming back if this condition is not treated properly, especially in the summer season. There are many different treatment options available, but most infections can be managed without the need for oral medications.