Help my dog

[Diamond Confused]

My dog has a bacterial infection, a fungal infection and mites on his paw. We have spent 1 month treating it and over $1000 in vet bills. He doesn''t seem to be getting better and it looks like it my be spreading.

Has anybody''s dog had a paw infection? I''m so upset, I don''t know what more we can do.

 

[cnspotts]

poor pup, google Neem oil, tea tree oil (diluted) and betadine. Those are my stand bys for this kind of thing.

good luck and relief to your babe

 

[Lorelei]

Has the vet performed bacterial and fungal specific tests?

 

[natalina]

Are you in SF Bay Area by any chance? I ask because my Husky had a skin problem that other doctors continued to misdiagnose and it kept getting worse until I found an AMAZING doctor at SF Veterinary Specialists. His first name is Carlo, I''d have to look through old files for his last name. Anyway, they have doctors that specialize in all areas. He is specifically a veterinary dermatologist and figured it out right away. It was determined to be Demodex, and the treatment was time-consuming and expensive, but she is as good as new now. When we moved, the doc said he could provide contacts of other specialists areound the US, so maybe you could call? They really are fantastic there.

Good luck, and let me know if you want more info that I might be able to help with. I hope it gets figured out soon. I know just how you''re feeling, just want to take care of your best friend!

 

[Diamond Confused]

Lorelei - yes they did. Three biopsies were done.

Natalina - I''m in Los Angeles. I''ll check with my vet to see if he can refer us out to a dermatologist. This is all upsetting me so much. I''m glad to hear your doggy got better. I hope we have the same luck.

 

[bee*]

I''d definitely look at getting him seen by a specialist or someone who practices in dermatology. Do you know which bacteria/fungus are present or have the biopsy results come back yet?

 

[natalina]

DC- please keep us posted. I will be thinking about you and your dog and hoping all goes well. (((Hugs))) to you for caring so much- the animal kingdom needs more people like you!

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 4/26/2009 7:32:45 AM
Author: Lorelei
Has the vet performed bacterial and fungal specific tests?

Yes, getting the specific forms of infection are really important for accurate treatment. I don''t normally respond to threads of this nature, because I am not qualified in any way, although my nearest and dearest is. But your post upset me.

Warning: possibly off - topic!
We get a lot of allergies in our area, and they can be very frustrating for pet owners because allergies including skin problems and infections can persist for years, regardless of how well the medications work in clearing up the immediate symptoms of the allergy when it flares up.
In cases of allergy, it can be worth firstly identifying which allergy triggers are the cause, and then getting treatments to help your pet build up resistance to the allergen.
But your vet would have told you all this by now if it was relevant.

How is your dog going now DC?

 

[tlh]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:10:09 AM
Author: LaraOnline

Date: 4/26/2009 7:32:45 AM
Author: Lorelei
Has the vet performed bacterial and fungal specific tests?

Yes, getting the specific forms of infection are really important for accurate treatment. I don''t normally respond to threads of this nature, because I am not qualified in any way, although my nearest and dearest is. But your post upset me.

Warning: possibly off - topic!
We get a lot of allergies in our area, and they can be very frustrating for pet owners because allergies including skin problems and infections can persist for years, regardless of how well the medications work in clearing up the immediate symptoms of the allergy when it flares up.
In cases of allergy, it can be worth firstly identifying which allergy triggers are the cause, and then getting treatments to help your pet build up resistance to the allergen.
But your vet would have told you all this by now if it was relevant.

How is your dog going now DC?

This is true. Turns out my friends lab is allergic to grass, and corn, amung a list of things. So, it didn''t matter what they did, she didn''t get better. They now give her shots, and feed her a special diet. I am sending lots of dust and love your pups way!

 

[tigian]

Has your dog been on antibiotics frequently? Our second dog had many infections when she was a puppy and had the fungus/bacteria/mites on her face. Dermodex, I believe was the diagnosis, and we put a special cream on it. It took a really long time to heal and it looked like it was spreading. It took about a month of diligently spreading the cream on her face and making sure she didn''t lick it off. Do you know the diagnosis?
Another idea that I got from a friend which is an alternative treatment: colloidal silver
She uses it on her dog for many things (allergies, hives, infections) and swears by it. There is a lot of info about it on the internet-good and bad stuff.
Good luck with your dog. I know how stressful it can be dealing with dog health issues.

 

[Diamond Confused]

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. We really need them.

On the suggestion of cnspotts, i decided to try the homeopathic route. I''ve been using neem oil and apple cider vineger to cleanse the are. It''s only been three days and I already notice a difference. I decided to try homeopathy for two weeks and then see the speacialist.

Bad news though... he has urinated in his bed twice. I think he may have done it in his sleep.