[calasal]

Hello, before I describe my puppy's problem, I want you to know that we've been to 5 different vets, dermatologist, emergency room and her primary vet, now I'm going online to see if anyone has seen this before.
Female, 9 week old Pitbull, 12lb, intact.
She has sores all over her body, today I discovered two the size of dimes.

Saturday Night,
Had fever, threw up her food. (nothing yellow, just her food)

Sunday
We took her to the emergency room and had a fever. No test done, just antibiotics and steroids, the vet said he didn't know and that it was a puppy thing, refused to give us a dermatologist referral.

Monday Morning
During the night the puppy had a fever so we went to the primary vet, she said in her 22 years she had never seen anything like it, did skin scrape and nothing came up, she didn't know and told us to keep giving her the antibiotics, steroids and Benadryl.

Monday Night
I noticed blood in her nose, took her to a different emergency room, the vet was stomped, took photos and asked her colleagues, no one knew, the have ran blood work, nothing came up, did emergency referral to dermatologist. (Nose bleed was for a lesion on her nose, not internal blood)

Wednesday
Dermatologist checked for mites did cytology and nothing. No bacteria, no yeast, nothing. The dermatologist doesn't think it is food related because her immune system is too immature, so what is it? She though it was a reaction to her first puppy vaccine and upped her steroids, nothing, the dumps keep showing up. She is incredibly itchy. Today I put a cone do she can't lick. We've been everywhere, spent over 1k in less than a week. Now we're planning on taking her to a veterinary school to see if they know what could be the problem.

If you've seen this before please help us. Thank you.

 

[FluffyLove]

They almost look like burns. It makes me think of a fungal issue like ringworm. A genetic issue like Lupus or Seborrhea. Or a bacterial issue like Impetigo. Are her kidneys functioning within range? Did her breeder have genetic tests or any incite to what other issues past dogs have had?

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[calasal]

They almost look like burns. It makes me think of a fungal issue like ringworm. A genetic issue like Lupus or Seborrhea. Or a bacterial issue like Impetigo. Are her kidneys functioning within range? Did her breeder have genetic tests or any incite to what other issues past dogs have had?

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I don't think it is a fungal or bacterial issue, because the test they ran does not have yeast or bacteria, it could be an autoimmune disease. That's very upsetting. We will be doing a biopsy soon. Would Impetigo or ringworm show up in skin scrapes?

Her kidneys are within range for a puppy. I got her from possibly the worse breeders ever. I put a deposit down and a week later they called me up to tell me to pick her up because the mom was done with them and they couldn't take care of the puppies. I got her at 4 weeks old. I don't know if that has something to do with it, to help the puppy out, I got her a sister (also a puppy) and for a week I got her a foster mom, I wish I had her for longer, but that is all I could do. Thank you.

 

[FluffyLove]

I would first report the back yard breeders and submit pics of your pup as evidence. I wish animal welfare laws were stronger.
I have watched numerous vets misdiagnos ringworm for years. Im a groomer, so I've seen it a lot. It can look like other things as well. A false negative is very possible.

There are also a variety of flesh eating bacteria, as dramatic as that sounds, they're very common but normally the body can fight them off. Are there biting flys or other bugs in your area? They can carry bacteria that wouldn't normally be found on a puppy as well.

Did they prescribe a special shampoo? A weekly bath in shampoo designed for skin issues could bring her relief.

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[calasal]

Since you are a groomer, have you heard of adverse reactions to Veterinary Formula Clinical Care, it was after I gave her a bath using that shampoo that she spiraled, I believe a day that bath she started having the bumps, I'm looking at every possible reason for the condition of her skin. Just today I gave her another bath with a common tearless puppy shampoo because her wounds were covered in pus, it says online not to bathe them, but I had to do it.

 

[FluffyLove]

Since you are a groomer, have you heard of adverse reactions to Veterinary Formula Clinical Care, it was after I gave her a bath using that shampoo that she spiraled, I believe a day that bath she started having the bumps, I'm looking at every possible reason for the condition of her skin. Just today I gave her another bath with a common tearless puppy shampoo because her wounds were covered in pus, it says online not to bathe them, but I had to do it.

Was this a vet prescribed shampoo or over the counter? I've heard of reactions to even the most gentle of shampoos. I've seen them too. Bully breeds are very sensitive, and with more white, have a higher rate of allergies to just about anything. Her immune system might be freaking out since she was taken from her mom too early and the mom may not have been very healthy to start.

Shampoo reactions mostly happen with dyes, fragrance/perfume, and not rinsing enough. Also diluting shampoo is important, straight from the bottle can cause chemical burns. Mix up some baby oil, Listerine, and warm water to dab on each spot. This will disinfect, moisturize, and taste gross.
When vets couldn't figure out what was happening with my collie, my grandma told me about this mix. It healed her almost overnight and gave us some breathing room to lower stress levels and think of other things that could be going on. She turned out to be sensitive to pork. Her spots kept coming back until we wholly eliminated pork from everything. Chicken/poultry/eggs are the most common allergies in dogs. I can't say your dog will react the same way, but overloading her system with steroids and antibiotics could swing her in the opposite direction and cause new issues with her being so young.

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[calasal]

Was this a vet prescribed shampoo or over the counter? I've heard of reactions to even the most gentle of shampoos. I've seen them too. Bully breeds are very sensitive, and with more white, have a higher rate of allergies to just about anything. Her immune system might be freaking out since she was taken from her mom too early and the mom may not have been very healthy to start.

Shampoo reactions mostly happen with dyes, fragrance/perfume, and not rinsing enough. Also diluting shampoo is important, straight from the bottle can cause chemical burns. Mix up some baby oil, Listerine, and warm water to dab on each spot. This will disinfect, moisturize, and taste gross.
When vets couldn't figure out what was happening with my collie, my grandma told me about this mix. It healed her almost overnight and gave us some breathing room to lower stress levels and think of other things that could be going on. She turned out to be sensitive to pork. Her spots kept coming back until we wholly eliminated pork from everything. Chicken/poultry/eggs are the most common allergies in dogs. I can't say your dog will react the same way, but overloading her system with steroids and antibiotics could swing her in the opposite direction and cause new issues with her being so young.

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Thank you for this, I'm gonna go out and purchase baby oil, already have the Listerine. The shampoo is over the counter and its supposed to be hypoallergenic, but who knows, I wont be using it again just in case. I will try your grandma's recipe and let you know. thanks.

 

[FluffyLove]

Thank you for this, I'm gonna go out and purchase baby oil, already have the Listerine. The shampoo is over the counter and its supposed to be hypoallergenic, but who knows, I wont be using it again just in case. I will try your grandma's recipe and let you know. thanks.

I hope everything works out for your babe. It is heartbreaking to not have answers. I sifted through my shampoo collection and found some of the brand you mentioned. I have used it a couple times but found it hard to rinse satisfactorily and it's cleaning power lacking. I switched to using coal tar or t-gel for most yeast, fungal, and bacterial skin issues on my clients. I wouldn't use tea tree on a puppy, but that's my other pick for whitening and skin/bug issues.

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[calasal]

I hope everything works out for your babe. It is heartbreaking to not have answers. I sifted through my shampoo collection and found some of the brand you mentioned. I have used it a couple times but found it hard to rinse satisfactorily and it's cleaning power lacking. I switched to using coal tar or t-gel for most yeast, fungal, and bacterial skin issues on my clients. I wouldn't use tea tree on a puppy, but that's my other pick for whitening and skin/bug issues.

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Hey, I just wanted to come back here and thank you, I apply the mixture to each wound and she is no longer itchy and they are starting to heal. We still don't know what it is, but at least she wont suffer while we find out! Thanks!!!

 

[FluffyLove]

Hey, I just wanted to come back here and thank you, I apply the mixture to each wound and she is no longer itchy and they are starting to heal. We still don't know what it is, but at least she wont suffer while we find out! Thanks!!!

That's great! It's super frustrating to have to figure these kinds of things out, but lowering the stress levels and getting a bit of relief is a great start.

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[MyEmmyM]

I just loved LOVED reading that FluffyLove was able to help. Groomers have so much knowledge and they are not appreciated nearly as much as they should be. That sounded like a great solution for your pup's problem even if it isn't the ultimate solution. My gut feeling was that it was some kind of parasite, or ringworm, or a insect that was biting the pup. But finding relief is so important and helping the infection to improve is also wonderful progress. It can be difficult to find a vet that is able to think out of the box. They are either afraid or just not super confident (intelligent?) I just can't believe they were so dismissive, especially the one who would not give you a dermatology referral. What difference would that make to him? So irrational. Also, if I may suggest, I too was given a puppy well before it should have been taken from its mother. It was a doxie, so small and vulnerable. It took a day or two before we realized that she was much younger than we were told. Many problems stem from this, including most importantly nutrition and socialization, which they learn from being with their mother and siblings. We had gotten a pup from another litter same breeder, but this was the last remaining pup and she had been there for longer than most pups would stay. She was a great and easy dog but her half sister which was the pup they gave up too early was full of neuroses. We loved her just the same, she was one of a kind! The most knowledgeable people I have ever heard from regarding young of any breed, are foster care givers. They always know the best way to feed them and socialize them. If you can find any foster groups online, I suggest Instagram, you will be properly schooled. These people are so experienced and have tried and succeeded over and over, at raising young who have lost their mom or are extra sick. I would search for Pitbull Rescues and then possibly ask them if they can suggest any foster care groups. Not individuals but groups online and then you can choose one or more to communicate with. Good Luck. You seem very capable and caring.MB