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Saint Bernards => Saint Bernard General Discussions => : coonie1970 May 17, 2005, 09:31:15 PM
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I am having a problem with Judge. Yesterday we noticed a blooby spot on the top of his head. Then thismorning he had another one over to the side of the first one. It smelled really bad. I called the vet and took him in right away.They shaved his head and he has what she called a staff infection.It is awfull and I cant beleive I didnt notice it. Im posting some pictures to show you what it looks like. The vet said that this kind of infection spreads really fast. She gave him a shot of penacilin and gave me some antibiotic cream. We tried to put the cream on tonight and OH MT GOD It took 2 men and my sister and I to get it on the sore. It is so painfull for him.
Has anyone else had this problem??? Any suggestions as to how to put the cream on without it being so hard on him?? I feel so awfull for not noticing even though the vet said it can spread within a day. :'( :'(
Thanks
Karen
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Poor Judge!...But, don't be so hard on yourself...It is obvious to all here that you love him!...I haven't had to do what you are doing but if I back Samson's hind end into the corner of the cabinets in the kitchen so he can't back out & then straddle him I am able to give him a syringe of Pepto by myself...Good luck & keep us posted on Judge!
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I gave Judge treats last night after we were done and made a big deal about how good?? he was. Ill keep doing it that way. He also has eye drops, we are going to try that today. Im on my own so Ill have to figure something out for his morning treatment. It is looking much better this morning.
P.S it is called hot spots.
Thanks for the addvice.
Karen
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I just recently went through the same thing with my pit mix. It started with a skin allergy then ended up with a staff infection. My vet put him on Clorpheniramin e tabs (antihistamine) and 500 mg Keflex (antibiotic). Thankfully I did not have to deal with creams. He started to clear up within days.
I hope your furkid feels better soon.
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OMG! YOUR POOR BOY! I agree that you should not be so hard on yourself, staph is something that lives naturally on the skin and in the dirt, etc...Usually does not cause any trouble unless it gets into an open area such as a cut etc...where it enters into the blood stream or the tissues under the skin. Normally even a cut won't develop infection because we wash our hands and put bandaids over the areas etc..protectin g it. Unfortunately with our dogs, and ALL THAT HAIR, it is hard to know if something is brewing under there until it is draining. I do a finger through the hair run everyday on their bodies to check them out, but thats only once a day and I have miised a hot spot before. Staph does spread very fast, can mimic what some call the "flesh eating disease" is the spot growing or still the same? Did she put him on any oral antibiotics as a precaution ? What kind of cream did she give you? I agree that backing him up in a corner will help you get the ointment on him easier than what you are doing now. My Kuv's are pretty good about standing although Aidan had to lay on the floor when he cut his paw and had stitches for me to clean and wrap the area once a day. He was not as easy as Beauty and we did have to lay over him the first few times, then her settled down I think after he realized we were trying to help. The area Judge has will be more painful as it is open to air and that causes more pain, in addition there are so many small nerve endings in the surface of the skin and right below that just add to it. I had a patient not to long ago who's whole leg had staph and every bit of skin was GONE, it was horribly painful and the dressing changes alone took a good hour. Is there a reason she did not want you covering the area? I realize thisis long and I had many questions. Feel free to email me personally, I have aloto f experience in this type of thing, although not with a dog, but human patients are not much different in the way it works.
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POOR JUDGE!!!! You are a great mommy and did the right thing. Those things spread fast, so don't beat yourself up. I hope he gets better soon. Keep us posted!
Kandi
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Thanks so much. I thought it was likely the same as a human infection but wasnt to sure. Judge is doing much better. Now he has more strength to fight the cream though. i put a bit on this morning with very little trouble but this afternoon he wont let me near him. The sore is starting to heal but there is a bit of guck ozzing from the centre. I made sure to get some salve on that spot.
The vet didnt give me any antibiotics just the cream for the sore. Fucithalmic is the name on it.She didnt say anything about covering it with gauze. She did say that if got any worse or didnt get better within a few days to give her a call.
She also said that some dogs do not have the antibodies in there blood to fight this type of infection. She said that if he keeps getting infections she can put him on a series of shots to build up his ammunities. Anyone know anything about this???
Thanks for all of the support. I really appreciate it.
Karen
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Thanks so much Ill go out and see if our pet store carries anything for this.We live in a small town so I doubt very much that they will but its worth a try. We had to go out of town to get him a bigger collar cause no one carried his size in town. ??
It seems to be drying up nicely I was just worried about it getting more infected with him trying to scratch it. He cant really get to it but he does try to brush at it with his paws. I think Ill go to the drug store and see if they have anything for humans that might work for him.
Ill keep you posted and get another picture so you can see the improvement. I think it will be good for others to see what it looks like so they will know if there dog gets this.
Karen
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my boxer has had staph on and off about 2 years ....she has been on antibiotics off and on and for awhile we tried a shot nothing seems to keep it away...it does have alot to do with thier immune system so i hane her on supplements now...good luck
ann
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No dont blame yourself, staph's are super aggressive and can pop up within hours. And like Kildeskennel said they do live on the skin on both us and the dogs normally, and only when there is a cut or scrape or when we for some reason have a supressed immunesystem will it become a problem. I am glad that it seems to be getting better already. My dogs have never had it, but many years ago, when I was training horses, one of the horses had it and guess who got it, yep.... me and not only did I get it, I got it in my face...... Imagine being 17 and having staph in the face, not one of my fav. memories lol.... Hope things will clear up soon and that it gets better real quick.
Marit
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Here is a picture I took last night. We had quite the fight again with the cream and Judge keeps pawing at the sores. After 1\2 a block of cheese and alot of praise we finally got most of the area covered in salve.WOW He sure is strong. He still isnt quite up to par but he seems to be feeling a bit better.
Karen
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I am glad to hear he is feeling better. I can imagine it is a struggle trying to put the cream on his head, the only thing I can think of is something I think someone else already suggested here. To sit him down somewhere so he cant back up more, then stand over him with one leg on each side of him and kinda hold him with your knees aound his shoulders, bend down and put one arm around his front (like hooking him) and use the other hand to put the cream on his head, but the size of him will probably make even that hard, if he is that determined to not have it put on. But since it is getting better, at least you know that you are getting enough on there, even though it takes a good amount of cheese ;D and some hard work from mom. Give him hugs from me
Marit
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Thanks Merit. We put him in the bathroom last night and my hubby did as you say. He has so much skin its hard to get a good hold on him. He managed to throw my hubby off his back. It was really quite funny.The night before when my Brother-in-law held him he did the same thing. Then after we were all done Judge wouldnt leave my brother-in-laws side. I guess he figured he was the boss(Al). LOL. Judge never really bothers much with Al.My sister is comming over to help with todays treatment. Hope all goes well. :-\
Karen
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;D I am picturing this and I am laughing hard, I will from now on refer to this topic as "Judges Rodeo" I bet it was funny to see hubby thrown off a dog lol......
Marit
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Karen - I am so glad to hear that Judge is doing better. The infection certainly looks better in the second picture than in the first. Sounds like you've got a regular wrestling ring going on over there in the bathroom! I'm sure that was a sight to behold! I'm guessing that Judge knew you needed a good laugh in the midst of all your worries. Give him hugs from me and Ranger! Heather
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Here is a picture I took last night. We had quite the fight again with the cream and Judge keeps pawing at the sores. After 1\2 a block of cheese and alot of praise we finally got most of the area covered in salve.WOW He sure is strong. He still isnt quite up to par but he seems to be feeling a bit better.
Karen
oh my god that pic made me cry! i cant see the first one, and i dont want to...but that pic looks SO painful and uncomfortable! POOR BABY! at least he has wonderful parents who are taking good care of him though!
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Hi all. Here is the latest on our Judge restling. ::) My sister and I were almost killed. LOL Just kidding. But we had a really hard time getting the 30$ cream on his head. Most ended up on our clothes and the wall. >:( I went off to the pharmacy to talk to the Pharmasist. He was more than happy to help. I bought some Polysporin. Came home and my Mom and I took Judge into the bathroom.DRUG him into the bathroom. I pinned him against the wall with just his head on the toilet. Managed to get a BIG gobb of cream on his head and waited for the worst. Well it was the funniest thing he just layed his head on the toilet and let out a huge siegh. His body completely relaxed and Mom RUBBED the cream in. :o ;D It must have been that Rx cream that was hurting him. Hope it works to clear everything up.
We are off camping for the long weekend. So hope everyone has a good one.
Karen
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Golly! He is one brave boy, and what a brave mom for taking care of this. It is very hard to treat a big dog with an obvious infection, especially the one Judge has...If the area is drying up, that is EXCELLENT, I am curious did he get cultured for staph? I mean no disrespect to your vet, I am just wondering if they went on "sight"only or if they cultured the drainage from his wound. I may have missed this info already in a previous post, so please don't think I did not pay attention. It is the 22nd, how is he now?
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Judge is feeling wonderfull. His head is almost healed. We were camping all weekend and everyone had a great time. Judge enjoyed the great outdoors and playing with my Sisters dogs.
There was never a swab taken from the sore by the vet. I guess she just went on what the sore looked like. It seemed to have responded great to the treatments so I guess she was right on her observations. Thanks so much for all the concern. I really appreciate all the help. Everyones comments helped soooooo much. :-*
Here is another pic. taken over the weekend.
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Karen - That is wonderful news! I'm so glad that Judge is starting to feel back to normal and that his infection is almost healed. Kudos to you for being such a fantastic Mom!
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He looks so much better! GOOD job mom on the successful treatment!
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Yay!!! It looks SOO much better! I'm glad to hear he is feeling better.
Kandi
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woohoo for Judge and his mom. Well done!!! I am sure both of you enjoyed the trip, and needed the break from the bathroom lol....
Give him hugs
Marit
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Ya! Leo was very worried about Judge so I'm glad he's getting back to his healthy, handsome self! That first pic you posted of the infection was so sad...
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Yah Judge! It is so nice to have that handsome boy feeling back to his old self! I am glad also that he has such a wonderful mom to take the "hits" that came along with the medicine job.
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Our Josh had a staph infection a while ago that apparently was caused by the thickest part of his fur(the white fur on his upper back) not getting completely dry after a bath. The vet said that that provides a perfect breeding ground for the staph bacteria. The infection came on overnight... very fast moving.
The spot was so uncomfortable that the vet had to sedate him so he could shave off the fur (the skin looked awful) and put the anti-bacterial cream on it. He also had to take amoxycillan antibiotics for 10 days.
All in all a $250.00 experience. But, Josh is now completely healed and we make sure he is completely dry after grooming or getting caught in the rain.
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Wow Coon...poor judge...you are a great mommy...glad I picked you to be judges mommy... ;) I sure does look alot better that when it all started. The finger through the hair method of protection sounds like a good idea...keep up the GOOD work!! :)
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Our Josh had a staph infection a while ago that apparently was caused by the thickest part of his fur(the white fur on his upper back) not getting completely dry after a bath. The vet said that that provides a perfect breeding ground for the staph bacteria. The infection came on overnight... very fast moving.
That is actually pretty common, when you train to be a groomer that is something they stress, to really make sure you dont send a dog home who is a tad bit wet in the undercoat. I guess like you said even when it rains, but I think the risk is bigger when you give a bath, because you run your fingers and hands through the coat and make sure they are wet and clean all the way down to the skin, if they are not getting totally soaked in the rain, they are usually not all that wet in under a thick coat.
It is also not uncommon among horses, they sweat so if you work a horse with long winter coat, rather than clipping it and putting a blanket on, you see that problem a lot. The sweat is coming from inside and then if they have a heavy coat, it is kinda "stuck" in there and THAT is a totally perfect environment for staph inf. No matter what breed animals, or humans for that matter. an environment that is moist and warmish and not very "airy" is the perfect place for the little mean staph. bacterias.
Marit
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We are also going through this, but thankfully Day-z is doing great.
Started off last Friday, i came home quite late and in her room was a smell of blood. Could not see anything. Later when stroking her, i discovered blood under her chin - the fur was quite soked and the blood was hard. Next morning i took her to the vet. They examined her and shaved her chin and half her face, and took a sample from the wound site. They gave me spray and antibiotics.
Today I spoke to them, and the test results are back. 4 kinds of bacteria, 3 of which are handled by the existing antibiotics and 1 which is not. So, she is now on SMZ-TMP as well.
$300 later and we are on our way to health.
The very annoying thing is, i think this started when she came back from being bathed at the vets with wet ears - i thought nothing of it, but that was Wednesday and it seems like the timing fits perfectly.
Shaved bits are all healed now, but she is scratching and biting elsewhere, hopefully this new medicine will help her with that.
Good luck all
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Poor Daisy! I hope you have a better time putting the ointment on than Coonie did with Judge! I think a spray is a great idea if you could get all the meds that way. I think I would be a little upset with your vet and I would say something to them if you think that she got the infection there. That's just me. It never hurts to voice your opinion. It's not always easy to take a wound to the pocket book! Good luck and please, please please post some more pics of Daisy!!!!??? She is soooo cute!
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Dufus
I hope Day z is feeling better. I still feel sad when I look at the pictures of Judge with the infection. He is doing great.
I agree with Nats. You should say something. If they left her wet then you should have been told. I wonder if they disinfect the tubs after they wash the dogs?? I would ask $300 is a lot of money.
Post some more pictures. Day Z is just so cute.
Judge loves her. ;)
Coonie
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Thank goodness you caught the staff when you did. Infections always scare me.
And I'm pretty concerned right now about my baby Bernard. She's not quite 4 months and has had a staff infection three times! Right now, she is on antibiotics - has been for two days - due to the last outbreak.
I just can't figure it out. She is bathed almost everyday. Since the first infection - we have kept her out of the grass - we are afraid it might start with Poison Ivy - but no one really knows for sure. We poured a special concrete slab and put a kennel on it - so she could be outside a little - but she is sad not being able to play with the other dogs.
If anyone has any idea at all what might be causing this - please help - we don't want her to be sick. The first infection she got - about 2 months ago - we noticed because she seemed to have a little pus-looking stringy stuff left on her privates after peeing. Then, we noticed that on her soft pink tummy skin - there were a couple of bumps, under the skin - nothing breaking the surface - but of course, bumps are never welcome. They were about large pea-sized. The vet saw her immediately, diagnosed it as staff, gave her an antibiotic shot and put her on Clavomox. Cleared up in only a couple days. Then, about two weeks later - boom - here it is again. And by that time - we were already keeping her out of the grass - she has to poop on the gravel drive now. The vet gave her more pills - and, once again, it seemed to clear up. But now, here it is again! We are so frustrated. Poor little Katie wants to run and play with the other dogs - but we are too scared to allow her to.
The vet said she 'may' outgrow it - but it would be good if we could pinpoint the allergy. She is bathed with Clorhexidrine nearly everyday - in case it is the poison ivy, or other contact dermatitis that is the culprit.
But, I wanted to ask your advice here. Could it be something else causing it? Her food? She is on Diamond puppy. Her water is clean - comes from an RO unit. She DOES have one bad habit, however, eating feces if I can't remove it in time (if she has an accident in her kennel). Could that cause it?
Could the other dogs be getting into the poison ivy and then spreading it to her? We are not allowing her around them too much, just in case, but she does need a little companionship.
This is just heartbreaking because she is such a sweet playful little pup and can't understand why she is not allowed to join in the fun. We live on a farm - so there are a lot of things that could cause it, but keeping her on a concrete kennel we thought would cure it.
Any suggestions or advice?
Thanks in advance.