Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 10/25/2011

Question
Hi, My 6 year old male German Shepard has got a skin infection on his underside (photo attached) he was licking and scratching but after 2 visits to the vets, steroid cream and a course of antibiotics it is still there, he has now stopped scratching and the sore is now a scab with other under the skin lumps and scabs around the same area. please help as this is driving me insane! Many Thanks

Answer
If the pustule is still there after antibiotics, it may be time to have a bacterial culture done to see if there is a resistant bacteria.  From the photo, there is a lot of skin redness in addition to the pustule.  Perhaps some systemic steroids (not a creme) would be better to help decrease the inflammation in the skin.