Yeast Infection on Chest

DonHarlow

I have had Berkeley for about 2 months now. He is a year and 2 month old black lab.
Since day one, I have noticed the skin on his neck had an elephant-like skin appearance, and is very flaky and dry. He scratched at it, but not any more scratching than any other dog I have had. The hair on his neck is a bit on the thin side as well.

On Friday, I noticed a bit of an odor coming from his neck while I was playing with him. The area felt moist and warm. Very stinky, sour smell. The skin was red and irritated. The itching has increased exponetionally. Cannot be 100% the redness is not solely from the scratching. But the smell and dampness on his neck is not from the scratching.

Vet appointment coming this week...
Question: is this a yeast infection? or a hot spot?

Any treatment to help make him more comfortable? Benadryl?
We have put some Gold-Bond powder on it to help with the itching because that is all we had on hand. Also read somewhere to do a 1:1 dilution of vinegar...that has made for a stinky dog but no relief.

Thanks

Elana55

Only a culture can tell if this is yeast or a hot spot.

You can clip the entire area affected with a fire ring aorund it (unaffected area) and wash it with an antibacterial soap and pat it dry. If you have TAME iodine (Provodine), you can put that on the area and dry it off.

Clipping the area (shich the vet will do anyway) will help to keep the skin dry and the washing and Iodine will help should there be any secondary infection. The Vinegar rinse helps to keep the skin acidic and helps to prevent bacterial over growth. Pat the area dry after treating. The object is to get it to dry up.

This is interim things to do until you get to the vet where they can determine if your dog has a bacterial infection (there is a skin infection that has symptoms like you are describing), a fungal infection, or an allergic reaction.

DonHarlow

Thought I would attach a couple of photos for anyone interested.
They are not the best because I took them by myself, but you can get the point.

Thanks Elana for the response. He has a vet appointment tomorrow.

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Elana55

You do need to clip the area and clean it and try to get it to dry. The Vet will clip it anyway.. and an area around it (fire road) where there is no skin thickening.

Again.. only the vet can tell you for sure.

Here is something you can read on Pyoderma:

https://www.vetconnect.com.au/5min/data/09980999.htm

And here is something you can read on Atopy:

https://www.vetconnect.com.au/5min/data/03760377.htm

There are other issues that can cause this.. allergies to fleas and to pollens if it is allergic in nature.

In all honesty there are MANY skin disorders this could be and so let us know what the vet says so we can all learn.. and more photos AFTER clipping the hair.

DonHarlow

Anxious to hear what this is. The smell/heat/moisture-feeling made me think yeast or bacterial
Will probably let the vet clip it tomorrow, but will definately let you know

Dog_Shrink

looks like a moist dermatitus issue. Sulfaden shampoo or another sulfa tar shampoo designed for subboreah(sp) would work well. Also clipping the area. This is likely an allergic reaction. Labs are HIGHLY sensitive and out of all the labs I know (which is A LOT) At least 3/4 of them suffer skin allergies. You can use cortisone 10 externaly to help control the itching and your vet will also likely give a cotrisone shot to help get things under control from the inside out. He will likely also give you an oral antibiotic as well to help with any accompanying infections that usually come with dermis isues. You can also give him an adult benadryl 2 times a day (every 12 hours) to help control hystamine reactions if this is an allergy based reaction which I'm willing to bet it is.

Elana55

It is not a matter of you "letting" them clip the dog. It is necessary to get things to dry up. The hair will grow back. It is only hair.

Likely a secondary bacterial infection is going on as well (from your description of the smell). If it is a DEEP pyoderma they may elect not to use a Cotizone shot right away (treat it topically instead with something like Neo Predef and washing) and with antibiotic pills for 2 weeks.

Cortizone can back fire and cause a bacterial bloom on the skin and make the Pyoderma worse.

Of course, this is all conjecture and it will be VERY interesting to hear what the vet has to say.

There can be a complication with Benedryl.. I am trying to recall what it is.. and antihistamines don't work well in dogs and cats. You need to give them for several days before they kick in sometimes.

DonHarlow

I wonder if his collar could be to blame. The area is mostly irritated where his collar sits. It smells pretty ripe too...

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DonHarlow

Elana,

When I say I will let them do it, I know at the same time that it IS necessary. No clippers=no clipping on my end.


I do understand that clipping is essential. I am in the medical field, so it makes perfect sense for access to clean and dry the site. Hope there is no misunderstanding that I didnt want him shaved...

Wonder if dogs have what I often see in children that take Benadryl (idiosyncratic reaction) Some kids will bounce off the walls when you give them anti-histamines. Me? I can not stay awake for 5 minutes if I take it! Cannot say that I dont itch though...I am usually so far asleep there is no way I could scratch.

Will let you know tomorrow.

Elana55

Get taht collar off him ASAP as it is likely bacteria laden. Get him a new one if it is elather and do not put it back on until all this si done for. IF he is weari8ng a Nyon collar, replace it. Sometimes they can "fray" and the little bits can get into the dog's skin like a zillion little needles.

If you can get him a Faux Leather collar that you can wash with soap and water and only use on him when you put on his leash, that would be best.

I clipped a hot spot on my GSD using scissors. She does what I ask (hold still int this case) and I was very careful not to grab any skin. An inexpensive pair of clippers are very handy to have.. you can get them for under $40 at Dr's Foster and Smith and at Pet Supplies Delivered.

The tame iodine I mentioned (Betadine or Povidone.. I spelled it incorrectly) does kill fungus, bacteria, yeast on the skin. You apply it after washing the area in antibacterial soap and patting it dry. After you put the povidone on, you let it sit and then pat it dry as well so it doesn't end up all over the place.

With the problem located where it is, if your dog will lie down on his bakck for a belly rub it may be easier to clean and apply medications.

Good luck and hope it is not so bad!

DonHarlow

My wife is taking him early this afternoon. Anxious to hear what the Dr. says.
Will let you all know.

FWIW, he only wears his collar is he is playing around in the back yard or on walks.
The skin under his chin and on the top half of his neck has always had an elephant-like skin appearance. He may have scratched it and gotten it infected...really want the vet to look at the skin though and see what is up with that.

Elana55

Even tho he wears the collar very little, the smell on it indicates it has a "growth" going on. Wash it.. let it dry.. ifi it is nylon, put it in a sock and rubber band the sock shut and put it thru a wash in the washing machine.

If the dog has had thickened skin for a long time, I am willing to bet it is a Pyoderma that will require some aggressive treatment (long term antibiotics, cleaning and surface treatment to get down in all the skin folds). The link I posted on Pyoderma discusses something chronic like this that is relatively common in the German Shepherd dog.

Interested to hear what the Vet says! Good Luck and hope they don't charge you enough for you to buy a dog made of Gold!

I had my dog on Benedryl for 9 days.. and she was sleepy ALL the time. It was great when she got off it and I got MY dog back!

DonHarlow

We actually washed his collar last night. Smells much better.

Hopefully he isn't the golden dog.
Oh well, even if he is the golden dog he deserves great treatment considering what his previous owner put him through...

MoosMom

I think you should still toss the collar, even washed its going to hold some bacteria.

DonHarlow

The elephant-like skin is from a long standing yeast infection (possible secondary to allergy).
The redness is from bacterial infection from scratching at the yeast infection.
Was not there so didnt get all the info, but anti-fungals, antibiotics, and anti-hist.
Recheck in 3 weeks.

The skin was so thick it took the vet a while to scrape down through to get a good sample.
Poor guy...He does not seem too worse for the wear though!

Elana55

Good News as now you have an answer! Since this is long standing you may be fiddling with it for awhile.

I assume they clipped and now you are treating it topically as well as with oral meds. What are the meds prescribed and how are they given (dose etc.)? Just curious (and I store this stuff away in a file drawer in my brain for future ref. Rarely do I forget ANY veterinary knowledge I gain).

DonHarlow

Actually they did not clip it.
The area is so long standing they had to scrape away for 5 minutes before they could get a blood sample to look under the microscope. Topicals will not do much good at this point. In 3 weeks when we go for a follow up we may be doing that, but at this point she didn't think it was a good idea.

Meds : Cephalexin 500mg (2 pills twice daily) Ketoconizole (one pill twice daily) Chlorphenhydramine (2 pills twice daily), Shampoo with 3% Benzoyl Peroxide (once per week or every other week)
It is a ton of meds...but she said this was one of the worst cases she has seen. Probably has been there for a long long time.
And you are right....I do think we will be dealing with clearing this up for awhile.
He was left in a 9X9 dog pen outside for the first year of his life. No socialization, never even had a treat or a toy he could call his own. Completely ignored. All because some guy wanted a retrieving hunting dog (Berkeley doesnt like to retrieve BTW so he just locked him up and ignored him)
So there is really no telling when and where he got this. We have only had him just over 2 months

Elana55

Thanks for the added info. I was wondering if the thickening and crust would prevent penetration of topicals.

The drugs are all familiar to me.. and the Cephalexin is common treatment for skin infections in dogs. He may have to have more than one course of this to get things under control.

Good luck and let us know how he does.

Also Congrats for taking him out of his Jail and making him your family pet. He will likely repay you tenfold or more in doggy gratitude!

Dog_Shrink

Ask your vet if an anti fungal shampoo like Nizoral (for people in the dandruff isle) would also help if used in rotation with the peroxide shampoo. My guinea pig had a bad fungal infection in her skin and the 6 weeks (once a week) of Nizoral baths had her all cleared up. All I know is if it can't hurt it's worth a try... also tee tree oil is AWESOME at helping skin issues along. My first lab had HORRID skin issues and tee tree oil was about the only thing to give him peace.

DonHarlow

Where do you get tee tree oil?