[ArkAngel]

BACKSTORY: My 10/YOM GSD has had a rash of skin issues the last few months. He licked himself raw in the “armpit” area and is currently on antibiotics to treat the bacterial infection that resulted from licking/chewing.

More of these spots are popping up on his belly area with the crust you see in my palm.

I am awaiting arrival of Sunday Sundae probiotics and am giving him Kefir in his food now, along with Usnea extract in his water and topically on the recommendation of Carmen from Carmspack. Also washing affected areas with Mane N Tail Protect.

I an considering doing the Nzymes Candida Detox program but just want to make sure thats what I am dealing with here.

Currently feeding TOTW Kibble Pacific Stream w/ 1.5tsp unflavored organic Kefir

Any help is greatly appreciated

http://imgur.com/a/pzHEn6a

 

[Jax08]

The only way to know if that is a yeast infection vs bacterial vs an irritation vs an allergy is to have a vet examine it and test it.

 

[ArkAngel]

Already had that done

-$160 injection for allergies didnt make a difference
-Vet said she didnt see any yeast in Cytology, only bacteria
-2 weeks into Clindamycin more spots appearing

 

[Jax08]

Injection for what?
So your vet looked for yeast and told you there isnt' any. Why do you think there is yeast?
Was there a skin scraping done to test for bacteria? Maybe the bacteria is resistant to Clindamycin.

Have you taken him to a dermatologist?

 

[ArkAngel]

Injection for allergies
Yes skin scraped in the “armpit”
No dermatologist

From all the reading I have done on old threads on this forum and nzymes.com they all appear to be symptoms of systemic yeast overgrowth, but not many pictures are provided and from the ones that are it is hard for me to tell if its the same type of thing going on

thats why I am asking for help from anyone on the forum who has had experience with this, maybe the symptoms were the same

 

[Jax08]

What kind of injection?? What was the medicine? That price sounds possibly like Cytopoint and that is ONLY to shut down itching. Not to shut down any other allergy symptom.
The skin was scraped but you said they looked for yeast. and you say they are treating for bacterial infection. Did they send out a culture for bacteria? Did they test it for antibiotic resistance? If not, then you need to start there. what you are describing is a staph infection and those can be resistant to bacteria.

 

[ArkAngel]

What kind of injection?? What was the medicine? That price sounds possibly like Cytopoint and that is ONLY to shut down itching. Not to shut down any other allergy symptom.
The skin was scraped but you said they looked for yeast. and you say they are treating for bacterial infection. Did they send out a culture for bacteria? Did they test it for antibiotic resistance? If not, then you need to start there. what you are describing is a staph infection and those can be resistant to bacteria.

Yes that was it, Cytopoint. I understood it was for allergies, I guess I was mistaken.

The scraping and cytology was done in house so it was not sent out, I was under the impression the vet thought it was yeast due to the musty smell, and was surprised when she came back and said she didnt see any only bacteria.

No testing for antibiotic resistance as far as I know.

The greasy yellowish crust that is flaking off in those areas is one of the reasons I am thinking its yeast with a secondary bacterial infection from the licking/chewing

 

[Jax08]

I would ask them to scrape and send out for a culture. If that's a staph infection, it could be MRSA. And that can be resistant to Clindamycin. I know that is one of the big 4 to use for staph but MRSA is starting to be resistant to that to from overuse.

 

[Magwart]

@ArkAngel, please see my reply in this thread:

Skin around groin - Rash?

This popped up in the last week on my 7 year old babe - he’s itching to an extent, nothing like fleas but sporadic. We just took a trip up to my family’s where he ate some different food for 5 days. Any help on what this could be & holistic remedies if you have a suggestion! note: I will be...

www.germanshepherds.com

I would give you the same advice that I just posted to that other thread. If there's even a chance of it being resistant staph (regardless whether other stuff is going on), I'd want to be bathing the dog regularly in antimicrobial shampoo to keep it from getting all over the house. With confirmed MRSP (the dog version of MRSA), I'd be doing TWICE A WEEK baths with veterinary shampoo! If you use a good veterinary chlorhex shampoo, it won't dry out the coat--it doesn't foam and is designed for this kind of frequent use. You can buy the kind with added antifungal ingredients (look for an ingredient with "ole" at the end) to get the yeast at the same time, if you'd like. I would use gloves to wash the dog, just in case there's a cuticle nick or paper cut, so that you don't pick the staph up in a little bitty nothing kind of wound, and shower after washing the dog.

FWIW, in rescue work, I honestly sometimes have to fuss at foster families to get them to take this seriously for themselves and be proactive about frequent chlorhex baths in dogs with skin infections -- it's a lot of work, but it's super-important (for YOU and those who live with and visit you, not just for the dog). Many vets feel like they can't give the advice they want to give about hygiene for protecting HUMAN health of their clients because the legal line between practicing animal and human medicine is so strong -- I have vet friends who are real with me and tell me how they protect themselves and their employees, so I know it's something they think about. You don't have to become a germophobe, but do practice really good hygiene in handling the dog and cleaning your home while treating staph.