Recent Feedback
My daughter's Bassett Hound developed a hot spot 3 weeks ago. After vet treatment it started healing. However, 2 days ago while she was out of town, it tripled in size. The dog also developed terrible ear infections (swollen, red, etc.) and green pus oozing from the eyes. She has quit eating and drinking. The vet has put her back on steroids and antibiotics. What is really causing this? Is it all related to allergies?
Hi there and thanks for your question.
It sounds like you are having a frustrating problem with your daughter's dog!
There are a few things I can think of that may cause these symptoms.
First of all, this may just have been a very strong bacteria that needed a longer course of antibiotics. If this is the case, then she should do just fine.
Next, you may want to ask the vet about the possibility of hypothyroidism. Dogs with thyroid problems can have repeated skin issues.
Some allergies can make a dog prone to skin infections as well, but it would be quite unusual for them to come on all of a sudden like this.
Most likely this is just a nasty bacteria and will take several weeks of antibitoics in order to be cleared up. If it is not clearing up you may want to have a culture done of the infected area to make sure that it doesn't need a combination of antibitoics in order to heal.
Dr. Marie.
The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.
Would a bacteria infection cause problems with all 3 areas? The dog is very lethargic and not eating. I lost my own dog a few months ago to lymphoma which showed no symptons until it was too late. He was also lethargic. Could this be a blood disease?
A bacterial infection certainly could cause these problems. If the dog scratched at the infected area and then scratched at her ears she can spread the bacteria....although I must admit it is not very common.
The lethargy and inappetance would go hand in hand with a nasty infection and should clear up within 1-2 days of treatment.
However, there is a possibility that there is something underlying which is affecting the dog's immune system. It certainly wouldn't be the normal presentation of lymphoma and cancer really wasn't a consideration for me when I answered the question.
If this were my case, I would see how the dog responded to antibitoics and if she is still not feeling well in 24-48 hours I would do some bloodwork to see if I could detect anything else going on.
Experience: 10 years in veterinary practice for dogs, cats and pocket pets.