Dr. Clifford,
For the past six to seven months my pitbull/boxer mix has been dealing with a recurring outbreak of small, itchy, and inflamed bumps that appear on the lower half of her abdomen and vulva. We have been to the vet several times, and each time we are given a course of prednisolone, and an antibiotic. The vet believes that the reason for this is an allergic reaction to something, which then becomes staph. However we live in a heavily wooded area, and it is not financially possible to relocate. So pinpointing exactly what is causing the reaction is rather difficult. I have tried to find a vet that specializes in dermatological issues, or allergies, and there are none even remotely close to us. We have been using baby wipes before, and after peeing since she has a small vulva that the vet informed us can trap dirt around the folds and increase the chances of a break out of staph, however as soon as each course of medication is done it ends up coming back almost immediately. After all the vet trips, and the rounds of medication not to mention the continued use of prednisolone I'm at my wits end along with the vet in trying to figure out the best way to manage this situation since a specialized vet is not an option. Along with the financial drain, this is becoming a seemingly unending merry-go-round of infection/allergy flair, a vet trip, and then course of medicine, and then the entire process repeats. Also, the outbreak does not seem to be seasonal it occurs during all periods of the year, and it had only started upon moving to our current location. We just finished the most recent round of antibiotic and prednisolone, and any additional thoughts I can take to the vet when I return to her (for the re-check and eventual re-start of medication) would be helpful.
Thanks.