My dog developed a skin infection that seemed to come on rapidly. When we noticed him biting at his leg, I turned him over and saw many red patches. We took him to the vet immediately, and they confirmed it was a skin infection. The vet prescribed antibiotics and prednisone, and we have to bathe him with a special shampoo twice a week for three weeks.
He just finished the antibiotics yesterday and only has a couple of prednisone doses left. While he no longer has visible red spots, he is still biting at his legs, which obviously itch badly.
I noticed that when we walk through our lawn, our feet or shoes get covered with what looks like rust. After some research, I found out it’s a lawn fungus called “rust.” Everything I’ve read indicates that dogs can spread the rust fungus around the lawn, but I can’t find any information on whether the rust fungus can harm dogs.
So, I’m wondering if the rust fungus could have led to the skin infection. Does anyone know?
How old is your dog? Is this the first skin infection? Has your dog ever scratched like this? What do you feed him?
It is likely that your dog has an underlying allergy (food or environmental) that is causing him to be itchy, and that his constant biting and scratching resulted in a secondary skin infection.
This happened to my dog as well. “Rust” rust causes dogs to lick themselves excessively. The spores are bothersome and cause itching in certain dogs…Itching produces skin ulcers, which can lead to bacterial infections. It is preferable to wash your paws after walking through rust-covered grass, or avoid the area.
The vet mentioned a name for the skin infection, but I can’t recall it. It’s bacterial, and she explained that this type of bacteria is present on all dogs, but something triggers it to become problematic. We haven’t identified the trigger yet.
He’s never had any skin issues before—no itching or changes in his diet. I feed him Science Diet food, and his weight is just about perfect according to the vet. He’s 5 years old.
When the infection first appeared, he had many raw red spots and pustules. Now, I can’t see any pustules, just a few dried-up scabs where the red spots were. The vet said they were very close to becoming hot spots when I brought him in. The rash seemed to have developed over just a day or two.
He’s currently in the process of weaning off Prednisone, taking it every other day. On the days he takes it, he doesn’t itch, but on the off days, he chews at his legs, clearly trying to scratch. I gave him a haircut today to see his skin better, and he looks good. This will also help me apply the medicated shampoo more effectively.
I would consider conducting a diet study on him for food sensitivities. I’m suspicious that this is the problem. A diet study might involve selecting a dish with a novel protein source, something he has never consumed before. Lamb, venison, duck, and salmon are generally good places to start. Chicken and beef are the most prevalent allergies, followed by dairy products and, less likely, grains. You would feed the new food exclusively for 6-8 weeks, with no table scraps or snacks, to see if the itching went away.
If you don’t want to do that, bathe his legs every time he comes in from outside to remove whatever is bothering him.
Hmmm… it appears unlikely that he would suddenly become allergic to the stuff he has been eating since we received him. I enjoy the idea of cleaning him off every time we bring him in. He seemed to be improving significantly during the previous few days. I gave him a haircut, and it was much simpler to get the shampoo to his skin. Hopefully, this will be behind us soon. Thank you again!
Food allergies can appear at any moment after 5-6 months of age. My last dog was seven years old when she developed food allergies. He has had enough of time to acquire an allergy to the food by this point, so don’t rule it out.
I am new to this forum. I found it when searching for rust fungus. I’m not sure whether my initial post got through, so I’m trying again. Sorry if this is a repeat for you. I was curious if you ever figured out what was going on with your dog because I seem to be having the same problem right now.
I agree. Our youngest dog started having issues after we discovered lawn rust fungus. We’ve explored all dietary and other potential sources, but I’m convinced it’s the lawn rust. She’s constantly chewing her paws and avoids going on the grass, especially when it’s damp. I’m currently trying to get a lawn company to treat our lawn.
My dog has developed seasonal allergies, and I live in an apartment complex with lawn rust. I haven’t found much information online about lawn rust and allergies, except that it’s uncommon. But how uncommon? One in ten? One in twenty? It didn’t specify. It’s definitely not food allergies because the symptoms disappear after a couple of good frosts.
I’ve tried everything: Cytopoint injections, Apoquel, Benadryl, Claritin, and prescription anti-fungal shampoo. Nothing really works, and no one gives a straight answer. Since COVID, vets seem to spend less time with you and push expensive meds that don’t work. I wipe him down with hypoallergenic wipes every time we come in from a walk and stick to the sidewalk as much as possible.
I’m planning to try a 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water spray once I’m sure he has no open skin irritations. I’m also considering adding local honey to his food over the winter in case it’s pollen he’s allergic to. I’ve heard many people have the same issue with their pets and need good advice. If anyone has a good recommendation, please share!
I don’t know anything about lawn rust, but I do personally know allergies. I know ACV really helped get residual irritants off my pups skin and also helped keep bugs away, so I think that’s a good plan as long as there are no open wounds (in case it burns). But it’s great for fighting yeast and breaking down other things that can make them itch.
As for the honey, I take unpasteurized honey myself and its really helped my seasonal allergies. I give my pup a little dab pretty much daily as well. Lots of benefits from honey too including antibacterial and anti inflammatory. Actually you could try some honey on his wounds, as long as it doesn’t encourage him to lick (if he has access to it), but it’s great for skin inflammation, burns and things like that.