How to relieve dog skin infection symptoms before antibiotics work?

Question

Our dog has a skin infection on his ear, paw, and mouth. We took him to the vet yesterday and he started an antibiotic today, an oral one and drops for his ear. He also takes Benadryl and Claritin. He is swollen and his skin is raw; you can see some pus in some areas. He seems to be more lethargic than normal. I forgot to ask our vet about things to do in the meantime before the antibiotic kicks in. Is there anything we can do at home to give him some relief? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 10 months old | 47 lbs

Emily Fukuzato, DVM · Accepted Answer

Sorry to hear about Dexter! It looks like he needs a steroid or other prescription allergy medication, in addition to the antibiotic. He should not need to be on 2 OTC antihistamines to control allergies. Benadryl and Claritin combined may be causing more lethargy. You can clean his ears with an ear wash, ideally obtained from your vet, and soak his paws in Epsom salts. A cool bath with hypoallergenic shampoo may help as well. That swelling is pretty severe on the lips so I would recommend a recheck if you aren’t seeing improvement within 48 hours. Also, if you haven’t already, discuss with your vet about a hypoallergenic diet.

How to relieve dog skin infection symptoms before antibiotics work?

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