# Staph Infection



## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

Hey all, new to the forum. coming from North Dakota where we just got 12 inches of snow...Riley our blue pit has allergies, and the bumps he gets is what our vet calls it staph infection (the secondary)... he always does a run of anti biotics (Simpcelf sp?) and then a steroid too.. Im tired of it, once the perscription is up the bumps come right back and we are back to square one with being miserable, the only thing that makes he quit itching is if we rub coconut oil on him... so my question is the staph infection like dead? Or do we need to run him on anti's longer to kill it? We do everything on the outside from washing with Ketachlor and then covering with Nu-Stock, feeding with ACV... Hes on Blue Buffalo Basics dry kibble, Turkey & Potatoe... Please any help is greatly appreciated, if i left anything out i will answer you guys as best as I can! Thanks again everyone.


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

How long has he been on the Blue Buffalo?


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## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

we've been on blue buffalo for almost a year now... we started on puppy blue buffalo, then went to ekubana cuz we thought we were doing him a favor, but then realized not from the ingredient grading system, so then we went to blue buffalo wild, same results, then we even went on pet food prescribed food, that lasted for about 6 weeks and he did good on them, but he was antibiotics for 3 weeks while he was on the food so you couldnt really see that if it was working, but right after the bumps were done, sure enough the crap came right back. so now we are on blue buffalo basics turkey and potato, apple cider 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar day and night, bully max, and coconut oil we rub into his coat for moisturizing... :hammer::hammer::hammer:


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## aimee235 (Apr 29, 2007)

Is it for sure allergies and not mange? Has the vet done a skin scraping? Also I believe you can have the vet test for what the dog is allergic too and then you would be able to eliminate it from his diet if it is diet related.


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## jaquiekis (Mar 10, 2013)

I had a Englsh Mastif that had the same problem. We did antibiotics, special food, everything. We took him to The University of Penn Animal hospital,they have dermatologists there. It took a minute but they got it under control with antibiotics, steroids and stuff. Then the doctor said bendryl. He got it 2-3x a day. It was like a miracle drug for him. Ask your vet about it. Hope you find something that helps the poor pup out.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

they've scraped it the first time the bumps came, and called it staph infection, they said the ruled out mange when they gave him a round of ivermectin for it, and the bumps continued... was there thinking, we do benadryl, damn near 75 mg a day, which is ridiculious, if i take 25 mg i am knocked cold for damn near 6 hours, and he gets 75 mg... no wonder he just lays around and sleeps... yeah of course it prolongs itching is because thats all it does.. puts em in nap mode... so we went to zyrtec instead.. personally with allergies myself zyrtec always worked better for me then benadryl... the allergy test is next on the agenda... kind of outrage at 1200 $ just for the test... and then given the 60% test rate that the shots they give actually dull the allergy arent great odds... its just frustrating because in the area we live in pitbulls arent common...the most common dog the vet sees around here IMO would be some kind of lab or field dog... no pits or anything out of the ordinary... so its tough to think that they know what they are looking at or just giving you the run around... thats why ive been glued to the internet for the past 6 months trying to pick pieces from everyone elses problems to see if i can piece this jigzaw puzzle together with him or what

- Going to the vet tomorrow to get a tooth pulled that is split the long way.. going to ask for a thyroid test... is that wrong? sinces hes barely a 1 1/2 years old? He's had these skin problems probably from about 6 months on till now...


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

staph infections can be a long battle... some things to think about...
1. quarantine during treatment
2. burn every fabric the dog came in contact with. blankets, pillows, bedding, etc. and you may have to enzymatically clean furniture upholstery.
3. disinfect all hard surfaces.
4. bleach all porous surfaces.
5. and ask your vet about this...

Staphylococcus Hypersensitivity
Bacterial hypersensitivity occurs when a dog’s immune system overreacts to the normal Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria on its skin. It appears that bacterial hypersensitivity in the dog is more likely to occur if other conditions such as hypothyroidism, inhalant allergy, and/or flea allergy are concurrently present. Bacterial hypersensitivity is diagnosed through bacterial culture and examination of a biopsy sample. Microscopically, there are certain unique changes in the blood vessels of the skin in bacterial hypersensitivity.

good luck.


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## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

How can you keep a pitbull in quarantine for 8-10 months?

-Staphylococcus Hypersensitivity
If it is this, whats the difference anyway? or did I misread something, its still staph, and its still there, and the antibiotics we've been running for the last 10 months obviously have failed miserably, of course except the time he is on them, and just conveniently priced at 100$ a bottle for another 14 day trial...I think I understand, I mean that your saying it's a lot worse if he's hyper sensitive...but for as many skin scrapes they've done trying to peg this thing they wouldnt of picked it up, or is it something you have to ask for like a thyroid test? Im sorry im testy... I am just FED UP with our Vet and myself!


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

If he's been on the food for a year, I would try changing the protein. Go for a fish based kibble, grain free. 
The infection will continue to come back as long as he is breaking out and scratching from the allergies. Benedryl is a good idea to start, but start trying to find what he's allergic to as well. Once you have that handled, the rest will fall into place.
Are you using ACV witht he mother? Are you adding any oils to his food? Fish oil or coconut oil?


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## aimee235 (Apr 29, 2007)

The only reason I was thinking mange is because I had a dog with demodex mange before and it was horrible. You can treat it but it will come back as long as the conditions that caused a weak immune system are still present. It is common for them to get a secondary staph infection. I had to treat my dog every time she went in heat and finally got it under control enough for her to be spayed. It also does not always show up on a scraping. Here's some info on that.
Demodectic Mange

Do you have any pictures of your dogs condition? A thyroid test is a good idea as thyroid problems can cause immune system issues.


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## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

EckoMac,

-Thanks for the info, we are currently on Turkey and Potato Blue Buffalo Basics.... I think im going to turn him to Salmon and Potato... hes on the wet food now due to a split tooth and seems to really enjoy it, not sure if its because its wet, or if its the different flavor... The vet said the same thing, it is a secondary infection, so we have eliminated almost EVERYTHING in our power to see whats causing it... As far as benadryll... we did have him on that, 75 mg in the morning and 75 mg at night, and as far as results for him... all it did was knock him out so he wouldnt scratch... and even then he would still wake up and continue itching...I add two TSP per feeding of ACV the good kind, i rub coconut oil (actual oil) onto his skin and that seems to soothe him for the better, Im going to the store today to actually buy the coconut oil (paste form), we tried fish oil and hes sooo picky I cannot get him to eat it for the love of god, even after picking it up after 15 mins to make him learn that he gets what he gets... I will snap some pictures today of him as we are going to the vet to get his tooth checked out and hopefully pulled so his mouth feels better to chew and play.

-Aimee235, I am with you on the mange! but my vet says no as they did a trial run of ivermectin on him in a shot form and the bumps proceeded to come back so they ruled that out in their mind, as of now what we are doing and seems to be working is this

2 TSP ACV each feeding
1 TSP every other day of Coconut oil
Bathes 2x a week for 2 weeks in Ketachlor shampoo
Bathes 1x a week for 1 week in ketachlor shampoo
Then goto as needed, after every bath i go over him with a fine tooth comb (figuratively speaking) and put "NU-STOCK" on his sores, and then put him in his cotton T shirt and we have a hay day together. Hes a trooper doesnt wine or anything just stares at me with the look like DAD WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!?!? And yeah.. I was throwing the idea around with Povidone Iodine, diluting to a tea color, then sponging him down with that... We are also looking into a probiotic as I refuse to put him on anymore antibiotics from the posts above , IDK if im in the wrong there or what... but its very frustrating... Any ideas? Pics will come when i get back from the vet!


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

jriedmann0417 said:


> How can you keep a pitbull in quarantine for 8-10 months?


i'm not saying put him in a bubble. i'm saying keep him off any surfaces you don't want to keep disinfecting. 
staph is contagious. and if it's as bad as it sounds, i would at least limit his exposure to other dogs and children. and anyone that has a compromised immune system.


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## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

Understandable JoKealoha,
Its fairly easy since my girlfriend and myself are the only 2 in the house, young, and don't really have a lot for him to get into around the house... I guess you could call him more an inside dog during the nasty winters here in NoDak... but when the days are nice we get outside as much as we can, as in the summer we are out everyday walking, biking, rollerblading


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## jriedmann0417 (Mar 23, 2013)

These are some pics of Mr. Riley
He looks 10x better in these pictures then he usually does before the breakout actually hits full fledge, i havent snapped a picture of him when he's in a full breakout i guess just because ive never thought of it, but there are another couple posts around this forum of what he looks like almost identical with missing hair everywhere up and down the trunk of his body, its the post with LexMomma Black and white pit if I remember right.

We just got back from the vet, had his ears checked out due to him shaking his head for no apparent reason and scratching at his ears.. whether hes scratching at that or trying to dull the pain in his mouth from his split molar im not entirely sure. he goes in for surgery Friday morning and will get that removed then will be on a round of antibiotics the first one being Clindamycin 300 mg, and RIMADYL 75 mg anti inflammatory, last time he got his tooth removed he did so well he didnt need any of the pain killers so i doubt this time will be any different... we have him on his wet food salmon and potato, and maybe this is dumb luck but from the pictures you see up top and his skin and coat being the way it is, it's almost like i can see a difference.. or maybe im just telling myself that i can see a difference


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