Infection in Private area that won't clear up

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Sheltiemomma

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Hello all. I am new here as I stumbled upon this site trying to find an answer to a problem we've been having with our 10 year old female Sheltie for months now. She has an infection in her vulva area that will not clear up - wondering if this is common amongst Shelties?
Initially I noticed the fur around that area looked "dirty" - like a black, oily substance on her fur and around the vulva; she was also very red & inflamed. Vet cleaned/shaved the area and took a swab which came back positive for e-Coli. We treated that with antibiotics & cream. It seemed to clear up for a little while, but then started to reappear. The next swab came back negative, but treated her with a different antibiotic and different cream. Third time swab came back with some random infection. Back on the original antibiotic & cream. After the shave they gave her that visit she seemed very sensitive in the area and was constantly "scooting" on the ground. I felt bad constantly putting her through this so I finished the meds and just stopped looking. Now, a couple of months later, she is very red and inflamed around the vulva again, with the same black, dirty looking fur around it. I am at my wits end as to why this keeps returning. Wondering if anyone out there has dealt with a similar situation?
She is fixed; has been on Proin for incontinence for about 2 years now as well. Also, a few months back she was put on thyroid meds for underactive thyroid.
 
Sheltiemomma said:
Hello all. I am new here as I stumbled upon this site trying to find an answer to a problem we've been having with our 10 year old female Sheltie for months now. She has an infection in her vulva area that will not clear up - wondering if this is common amongst Shelties?
Initially I noticed the fur around that area looked "dirty" - like a black, oily substance on her fur and around the vulva; she was also very red & inflamed. Vet cleaned/shaved the area and took a swab which came back positive for e-Coli. We treated that with antibiotics & cream. It seemed to clear up for a little while, but then started to reappear. The next swab came back negative, but treated her with a different antibiotic and different cream. Third time swab came back with some random infection. Back on the original antibiotic & cream. After the shave they gave her that visit she seemed very sensitive in the area and was constantly "scooting" on the ground. I felt bad constantly putting her through this so I finished the meds and just stopped looking. Now, a couple of months later, she is very red and inflamed around the vulva again, with the same black, dirty looking fur around it. I am at my wits end as to why this keeps returning. Wondering if anyone out there has dealt with a similar situation?
She is fixed; has been on Proin for incontinence for about 2 years now as well. Also, a few months back she was put on thyroid meds for underactive thyroid.
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so if the vet cultured the swab- did he/she test for antibiotic resistance? I ask because my first sheltie had at least 2 bacterial infections (ear/UTI) that needed specific antibiotics. it's possible that her infection never cleared up because she didn't get the right antibiotic.
my girl was also on thyroid meds and we tried Proin but it didn't do anything for her. it's also possible that the Proin is no longer working and that she is leaking and that's inflaming the area......
 
Calliesmom said:
so if the vet cultured the swab- did he/she test for antibiotic resistance? I ask because my first sheltie had at least 2 bacterial infections (ear/UTI) that needed specific antibiotics. it's possible that her infection never cleared up because she didn't get the right antibiotic.
my girl was also on thyroid meds and we tried Proin but it didn't do anything for her. it's also possible that the Proin is no longer working and that she is leaking and that's inflaming the area......
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...makes sense to me. Culture and sensitivity test and urinalysis if they haven't done this already. Might want to look into DES for urinary incontinence if the Proin isn't working. Definitely get her back into the vet asap. She is probably miserable. Vaginitis can have many causes. Itchy genitalia are also a symptom of yeast issues- might want to monitor the carb intake to see if she is getting too many...just throwing things out there.
 
Aww, sorry she's not feeling well. Our Roxie had a hard time cleaning herself when she was fatter (she's lost a good amt of weight & is on thyroid meds now) and she had a few times hen she was very red, sore & yukky down there. We made sure to clean her w/a warm washcloth & very mild soap, and used some antibiotic ointment for a few days each time it happened. First time, she screamed, I felt so bad for her! It was black & crusty & obviously hurt a lot. But the ointment helped a lot, and so we make sure to check that area & if it looks inflamed, we treat. Hasn't happened in a year or more, thank goodness.

We always wear gloves to clean & never touch the tube to our fingers, to avoid contaminating the tube of ointment, too. This has happened maybe 4 times in 2 yrs. I hope you can get to the bottom of her problem so she gets some relief. Lastly, she's the only dog we've had this happen to, we've had 8 dogs altogether over 20 years.
 
Does she have an "innie" vulva. By that I mean it has a vulva that doesn't stick out completely by instead sits into a fold of skin.

If it is an "innie", try washing and drying well and then using Desitan (could be desidan) baby ointment. It will keep the area dry and the urine off. When you put it on, keep your dog from licking the area until it is dry then she will find she has a hard time getting it off!. It will also relieve the itching and burning. You'll have to do it regularily - every couple of days or so.
 
Infection to private area

Hello Sheltiemomma, welcome to Sheltie Nation. This is the best "accident" you will have, SN is the best place to come for all things Sheltie. Many, many good people with lots of experiences and good advice. I have never personally had a Sheltie suffer the condition your baby is suffering. Since it is reoccuring, is it a possibility that she is coming in contact with something in your environmnet that is causing her outbreaks? Maybe some weeds, water, etc. Hope you are able to find help soon for your baby, she must be so uncomfortable.


__________________________
My sweet Angel, Bambi
Have good puppy dreams pretty girl
Gently crossed the Bridge in my arms: 3/9/98 - 9/28/09
 
Hollie also had trouble cleaning herself when she got older and she would also have the dark color and scooting like you describe. We would always clean her with baby wipes after going out. It got to the point we would tell her to show us her peepeer and she would roll over on her back be cleaned:lol:
 
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