13 yr. old standard poodle with face infections

Question
My poodle of 13 yrs. who has had all her check-up and shots, teeth cleaned etc: seems to be getting a swollen face that also swells under the neck. It is the second one in 2 months at first I thought it was some kind of insect bit because it looked like a bite ( tooth hole ) mark but I was wrong. The vet put her on antibiotics and infection stopped. Now its back and swelled so much that she hit it and it burst all blood and pus came out. I've been cleaning it and she is on antibiotics. I just spent 500.00 dollars on her but have no idea what it is. What do you think it could be?  Thanks for any information you can give me. The first time after it healed  where the so called bite mark was no hair. It was a bare spot on her nose. The infection is very fleshy looking. Same spot each time. Any help is appreciated. Thanks again Pat


Answer
Hi Pat,

Thank you for writing to me about your poodle.  This is rather baffling but the first thing I would do is have the vet biopsy the wound/infection and send it to a good laboratory.  

I would also check for the range of possible tick bites.  This would require a special blood test.

I would also suggest that you get a second opinion from a specialist.  If you are anywhere near a vet teaching school, where there are teams of vets and vets in training, cutting edge equipment and laboratories, then that would be the ideal place to bring your dog.

Your vet might also take a sample of the infection and send it to a lab where they can test to see exactly what antibiotic this infection responds to.  She may need intravenous antibiotics for awhile to totally get rid of the infection.

By the way, 13 is way too old to be getting any vaccinations.  All they can do is weaken her immune system.

I would also run a general blood test concentrating on her thyroid results. I have seen sores that were infected and wouldn't heal being caused by a thyroid that is off as well as food allergies. Perhaps switching her to an organic fish and potato diet is worth a try.

This must be extremly frustrating and frightening for you and I hope that my suggestions prove helpful.


Best Regards,
Shelley Davis