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Shaving her fur off, would help a lot....the medicated shampoo gets in better contact with her skin, the bacteria have less chance to "brew" under the fur and you can keep a better eye on her skin. Not sure how the weather is where you are? If it's too hot and (especially) sunny, it might not be a good idea unless you would take precautions. But otherwise, I would shave her :) We're thinking of you and the girls...
Sas :)
Thinking of you and sweet Luna, sending huge and loving hugs, Lori
Hmmm.... Are the lesions localized to Luna's back? If so, Luna has been on extended rounds of antibiotics before this latest outbreak. The problem keeps reoccurring. If it's something in her bloodstream attacking her immune system, why are the breakouts only appearing on her back?
Also, this stuff does not appear to be contagious because Peg is still crust free after all this time.
I still refused to entertain the idea that it could be CC. Not going there!!! :)
Hey Kathy, no, it definitely is not CC. It most likely is staph, and if so, in most cases it would not be contagious. From what I have been reading, we all have staph crawling all over our skin all the time :eek:, but it does not "blossom" into infectious lesions unless there is something going on that is causing a weakness in the host's skin. One common cause of staph infections in dogs is skin trauma caused by scratching/biting due to allergies. The dog opens up a sore spot and the bacteria invade. However, Luna doesn't itch or scratch herself much at all.
Chronic infections also result when immunosuppression is present due to stuff like Cushing's, low thyroid, etc. Those diseases just leave the whole body in a more weakened state and less able to fight off infections of all kinds, including on the skin. So if there is any break in the skin or irritation at all, the bacteria flourish.
Luna's lesions have been at various spots over her back and sides. So far, she's only been on one three-week course of oral antibiotics, and I guess that is actually a relatively short time when it comes to treating entrenched skin infections. Sometimes they treat for months, but I would hate to have to go there. Some sites I've been to suggest even daily bathing instead. Of course, both the bathing and the drugs don't address the question of why the bacteria is flourishing in the first place.
If we move on to a dermatologist, I guess allergy testing and/or skin biopsy would be obvious options (the biopsy to see if there is actually an abnormality in the skin cells consistent with certain immunosuppressive or autoimmune diseases). But it's hard for me to want to get involved in a whole bunch of expensive testing because she otherwise acts totally normally, and her labwork is all normal. No GI issues (that's Peg's department :o), and I've stopped thinking that her thirst/urination is abnormal, either. So there really is nothing to point a finger at right now. I guess I could try changing her food, but since she does NOT have any GI issues and her weight is really stable, I hate to mess with success in that department.
So I dunno what to think. Sas, your shaving suggestion makes a ton of practical sense, but it is both really hot and really sunny here, plus we are inundated with mosquitoes. Shaving would be something to think about if things worsen, though, which of course I hope they don't!
I don't hope either that things worsen...yuck :( But I do have another suggestion...can't resist, sorry ;) And perhaps your vet already told you this. But it would also be helpful if you wash the blankets and everything else the girls are lying on, on 140 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temp most of the creepy critters like mites, bateria and such are killed. That will help against re-infection and lessen the bacteriaload on Luna... Also the collar/harness and brushes should be kept as clean/sterile as possible. And eventhough none of this will adress the actual course of why the (most likely) bacteria can grow so abundantly, it still is important to get them under control :) Daily baths are not a bad idea either by the way :D Bathing is often seen as "bad" for dogs and indeed, for a dog with a healthy skin, it is absolutely not neccesary to bath often. But, for dogs with a skindisease, bathing is very, very useful :)
Another thought on the drinking/peeing... Dogs that have a broken skinbarrier, loose fluids much more easily through the skin and thus they need to drink more to stay sufficiently hydrated. Not tons and tons of water but still, one might notice a difference.
Well, enough for now :) Enjoy your weekend,
Sas :)
Sas, those are all excellent suggestions, so please feel free to chime in anytime! As it turns out, even more lesions blossomed overnight on Thursday, so I called the stand-in vet Friday morning and she and I both agreed to start Luna back on oral Simplicef, at least pending the culture/sensitivity results, since she had responded so well to it before. It may just be wishful thinking on my part, but I think the spots are already quieting down after two doses. This does not help us in the long run, but it will be good if we can regain control in the short run. So your suggestions will definitely help with that, too.
Thank you!
Awwww poor Luna...and you :( Yes, it seems very wise to have started the Simplicef again for now...and I sure hope that it will help pretty soon to at least give her some relief for now, and you too :)
I'll be wishfull thinking with you... (oops, that's saying something different from what I meant to say, sorry :) ) Meant to say that I'll be hoping it's not just wishful thinking ;)
Sas :)
My mind just went to Louise and Munchie who developed MRSA. Have they looked into that? It's a staph.
That's what we'll be finding out with the culture/sensitivity results -- exactly what it is. On a positive note, though, since it cleared up so rapidly on the Simplicef in May, it seems unlikely that it is an antibiotic-resistant bug like MRSA. That's what I'm hoping, anyway!
Well, any results yet???:confused: