Skin infection

[Sue and Cash]

Hi

Cash was neutered on Friday morning.  He came home just fine later in the day and seems totally fine and never even needed the pain meds they sent us home with.  He is dying to get out and play.  We noticed yesterday morning, so the next day, that he had a few scab like things on his neck.  I didn't think that much but made note of it thinking maybe it was from the surgery because he did have a chip put in as well.  This morning while petting him I felt more of them under his neck and then layed him down to inspect him fully.  He had little scabs all over around the inside lower legs and groin area.  I immediately took him right over to the vet.  Our's is open for a few hours on Sunday.  I just got back and he is on antibiotics for two weeks but a recheck in a week.  If he is getting more and not responding in three days then we return sooner.  They wanted to culture him but it was expensive and I just couldn't swing it this week with all the other costs I have incurred.  So I am upset.  She found some with pus around the groin.  I asked them did he catch something here, he did spend the day in your crate.  He was fine when I brought him in to you.  The vet did admit that she would have seen this on him during surgery because of the location.  And did say no it wasn't present when she operated on him.  But insists that he couldn't have caught it there since he was in a sterile crate etc.  I am not convinced of that but regardless I can only treat him and hope for a speedy recovery.  It just makes me mad that I gave them a healthy dog and something caused this.  I am haunted because my Brittany Jax five years ago was the picture of health but did have a small cyst for many years on his hip.  At age 7 it finally grew larger and we had them remove it.  Within a day of coming home he lost all his fur and got scabs all over his body and was very very very sick.  His musuc membranes were all effected and was literally losing all the nose, anal, and foot pad tissue.  Four vets later no one had a clue, no biospy showed a thing.  A specialist finally diagnosed him literally within hours of me letting him go.  Zinc responsive dermatitis.  A heriditary skin disease that is found in snow breeds!   Probably due to a reaction to somthing in the surgery.  You can see why I am not pleased to have Cash suddenly get a skin infectioin with 24 hours of the surgery.  Anyway maybe I should find a way to pay for the culture just to target the right problem, but they felt this antibiotic should cover staph or strep so to wait a week.  I think they won't admit he got it there because they should be paying for the cultures!  

[Ossian]

Where is your tongue woman? He has either had a reaction to something they have given him for/ during or after surgery or he picked it up in their surgery. Jump up and down!!!

[Sue and Cash]

Ossian I guess what I am askinig you all is can an infection start within hours? They are like he couldn't have gotten sick that fast. But I do feel it is possible since the scabs do multiple daily. I will complain to the corporate office of the Banfields chain if I have myself armed with the correct information. And also knowing what might have caused it will prevent it in the future should he need surgery again.

[Sue and Cash]

Well just hung up with the vet and of course she says its just a fluke. She will talk to the head of the clinic and ask if they will incur some costs. I won't hold my breath. I was nice to her and not demanding due to the fact I have a contract for another six months and want them to treat my dog kindly and I hate to make enemies of them. I was hoping that my kindness will pay off and we shall see. I did tell them if we can't resolve it I will call their home office to complain but prefer to settle it between us. She does admit though fully, he had no evidence of any sores on him prior to surgery and she looked at his groin lower leg area under bright lights. Now he has at least six sores down there and more coming up. Fingers crossed I get some help without getting nasty.

[JOANNE]

Hi Susan
If you sent a healthy dog to the vets with no signs of this condition then he HAS picked it up at there or it is a reaction to something they have given him. Be careful vets will swear blue that an animal cannot have picked an infection up while with them because as you say they do not want to meet any of the costs. But a vets is like a hospital for us and how many times do humans catch bugs etc while in hospital. I would most certainly be stating to them that he was healthy when you left him there, he has not been anywhere else in order to catch anything so you would like them to sort the infection that he currently has. I most certainly would not part with any further money until they have come to the party,

[Ossian]

Dearie me! Little lumps on his tummy is not likely to be impetigo.

Here is what you see....

Tiny blisters are usually the first symptom of impetigo. The blisters can be caused by group A streptococcus or staphylococcus aureus. When the blisters burst, the skin underneath them is moist, red, and may ooze fluid. Next, a tan or yellow-brown crust covers the wet areas, making it look like they've been coated with honey or brown sugar.

Staphylococcus aureus infection may also cause larger blisters filled with fluid that starts out clear but then becomes cloudy. These blisters usually remain whole without bursting for a longer time. It can be difficult to tell if a case of impetigo is caused by strep or staph bacteria. But the treatment is similar, no matter which type of bacteria caused the infection.

AND!!! Be very careful using Savlon (even diluted) with dogs. It can cause blistering if they lick

[Sue and Cash]

Well here is how it went. Friday morning was the surgery. Friday night when my husband came from work he was rubbing/hugging him all over and said what is this scab. It was on his neck just above where they would have put the chip sort of. So I thought that perhaps. Saturday I notice again a hard scab on his underside neck. Then I find a few more as I rub him. Did not notice anything on the lower legs/groin area but didn't look super close. I thought what the heck and decided I best call the vet. They were closed already and waited till this morning when upon looking him over really close, I find he has them now on the lower legs inside again. Nothing really has been on the back or tummy at all. And all were hard little small dark scabby type things that pick right off with some hair on them. I put them in a bag and took them right over with me to the vet when they opened. Once there the vet and I roll him over and now he has two by the groin on each side with greenish pus in them, not hard at all but fluid filled. Gag~! She put him on an antibiotic which is broad spectrum and covers both staph and streph for two weeks. If he isn't improving in three days though or they are spreading fast I will go right back in. The culture takes a few days she said and in the mean time they want to start treatment. Does it sound like impetigo? So again nothing on the tummy at all just neck lower legs and groin. All underside of body too. The pills are once a day which is nice and easy and I pray it works. I asked them to pay for the cultures and will hope they agree. I can't afford anymore this week. I have had bearly any work lately. If I have to have it I will of course. But she felt this should handle it unless it is some strange rare bacteria which she doubted. They said Cash was (which I knew) the first dog of the morning for surgery two hours before they opened to the public and the first and only one in that crate which is all stainless steel and was sterile. But I know that even in the hospital things have germs all over them. You should see what they can find when they test for things. Either way I just want him to get better. On the plus side he is insane from three days without a run and leash walking just isn't cutting it. He is acting fine, eating fine and driving us batty. Someone should mention to him he is ill!!

[Margaret Sierakowski]

Sounds more like a staph infection. Either he picked it up at the vets or he may have been carrying it before but nothing happened because his immune system was keeping it in check.
Something like surgery could tip things over so it becomes active.

If its a staph infection, a course of appropriate antibiotics plus bathing him frequently in something antibacterial like dilute hibiscrub should keep it in check. You can get secondary bacterial skin infections with staph which can be very persistent

[Jennifer Martin]

My old girl Jinty suffered from recurrent skin infections - piederma, for many years, she was treated with antibiotics and when it became persistent / resistant, the vet resorted to Steroids - which I have am sure contributed to her being diagnosed with 'cushing's' when she was eight, I also used antibacterial shampoo and gave her antihistamine/ piriton to her relieve the itching.
I hope you get to the cause of the infection soon and that it is successfully treated, good luck.

[Jennifer Martin]

sorry about my spelling of Pyoderma!! - I've just read your reply Sue and have to say Jinty was stung by a wasp when she was quite young it came up in a huge lump, disappeared after an hour or two, over the following two days she became increasingly lethargic, so it was off to the vet's and at first they thought she had leukaemia or similar as her blood count was right down, I mentioned about Jinty having been stung and it turned out she had had a massive reaction to it. She got stung a number of times after - not sure if she went after them or they made a 'B' line for her, she always came up in lumps about the the size of half an egg and until you mentioned it here I never connected the sting with her recurrent skin infections.

[Ossian]

Make sure you have anti histamine tablets to hand

[Sue and Cash]

My Brittany had an thing for bees and wasps and must have built up immunity to the stings. He got bit in the mouth so many times it became a non issue after the first few. We just couldn't bear to break it to the guy that he is was a bird dog not a bee dog. He lived to guard the yard of them.

[Jennifer Martin]

thank's ;D Sorry if we've hijacked this post and diverted onto Sting's! Always treated Jinty with antihistamine / piriton also as it does cause drowsiness it helps give both you and your dog some respite from itching etc - just don't let them drive if you treat them with it!!! hee! hee! ;)