Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/16/2010

Question
My Jack Russell is 12 years old and developed spots on her body. The hair has fallen out and look raw.  My vet is treating her for fungus.  She had done 3, 14 day tx of oral antifungal meds plus and antiseptic spray.  It has been 4 months and there is no improvement but it is not getting worse.  She has a bad odor and the bare skin has a black appearance.  She never licks or acts like it itches and some spots are an area I know she cannot be licking it to aggravate it.  I would love a second opinion.

Answer
If it is a fungal infection and you have treated for that long, ask the vet to do a fungal culture of the lesion to see if there is fungal growth.  Often a bacterial infection looks the same, causing what are known as "epidermal collarettes." If this is a bacterial infection, then ask your vet for a 2-3 week course of a good antibiotic against Staph bacteria.