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Injury Help Needed

jwelsh1214

Member
My mastiff Zeus got bit by something a couple weeks back (I'm guessing something bit him cause he hasn't gone in his dog house since) his leg is super swollen, hard and has an open wound (See Pics). He has been to the vet twice since and has had x-ray, blood work, biopsy and sample taken. The vet first put him on Clindymacin, Rymidal , and some supplement chews. He took the 9 day supply and nothing changed. I took him back 11/15/17 and the vet tried to drain it but was unsuccesful getting anything to drain. They kept him overnight for monitoring. When i went to pick him up they had him on an antibiotic (which with his size would cost me $364 every 2 weeks) I cant afford that; so they put him on Clavamox instead. I just want my dog better and able to walk on all fours again. Anyone else dealt with this??
 

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Nik

Well-Known Member
That price for antibiotics seems over the top. Is it possible to get call other vet offices to see how much they would charge for the antibiotic?

I don't have any bite experiences but antibiotics are pretty typical for any open wound. But, I have never heard of paying so much for antibiotics.
 

jwelsh1214

Member
That price for antibiotics seems over the top. Is it possible to get call other vet offices to see how much they would charge for the antibiotic?

I don't have any bite experiences but antibiotics are pretty typical for any open wound. But, I have never heard of paying so much for antibiotics.

The antibiotic is called Enrofloxacin which is generic for Baytril. Vet charged me $46.80 for 6 pills which is $7.80 a pill at 6 pills a day, something doesn't seem right. I found them cheaper at 1800petmeds and there $3.80 per pill. Vet just wants to see if it works until his test results come back. Not sure if the pill would even work. Crazyness
 

marke

Well-Known Member
it's a potentially very dangerous situation you got going on there ...... how long has the plate been in your dogs leg ? it can be a source of infection , or soft tissue reaction to the foreign object , among other things . it can also make it harder to clear up an infection ....having been through a similar situation , if it were my dog , if I didn't see clear improvement on the clavamox soon , 24 hrs , i'd want him on IV antibiotics , did they culture anything they got out the wound ? there are some very resistant bacteria around and some very expensive antibiotics for them , like vancomycin , I knew two folks that were on it , the script was like $600 to fill , another one I can't remember was around $1100 to fill , one was for a bone infection , the other surgical mesh infection ........ good luck , my only real advice is act as quickly as possible to resolve it ......... the vet cheated you on the baytril , i'd have trouble trusting them ........
 

jwelsh1214

Member
it's a potentially very dangerous situation you got going on there ...... how long has the plate been in your dogs leg ? it can be a source of infection , or soft tissue reaction to the foreign object , among other things . it can also make it harder to clear up an infection ....having been through a similar situation , if it were my dog , if I didn't see clear improvement on the clavamox soon , 24 hrs , i'd want him on IV antibiotics , did they culture anything they got out the wound ? there are some very resistant bacteria around and some very expensive antibiotics for them , like vancomycin , I knew two folks that were on it , the script was like $600 to fill , another one I can't remember was around $1100 to fill , one was for a bone infection , the other surgical mesh infection ........ good luck , my only real advice is act as quickly as possible to resolve it ......... the vet cheated you on the baytril , i'd have trouble trusting them ........
The plate has been there for 5 years. He got hit by a UPS truck at 18 months. Never had an issue with it. I did notice on the x-ray that the bottom screw appears to be floating in there. The vet didn't think so. I have a call into another vet already. I will see what he says and keep up on this post. Thanks everyone
 

Courtney H

Well-Known Member
Poor baby... I agree with the above comments. IV antibiotics is probably the best route, and go to another vet... please keep us posted!!
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Firstly, you've received some good advice from people who are in the know and have deep wells of experience, I have nothing to add except my prayers.

Secondly, just in case, did you search his dog house? Did you find anything that suggests you could be right about it being a bite? Where are you? Do you have snakes or scorpions or spiders that could have bitten him? Let us know...We are all pulling for your boy!
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
You know, maybe PM Jakesmum. I'm positive it was Jake that had that horrible wound on his leg. She might have some ideas for you.
 

Jakesmum

Well-Known Member
That looks very similar to what we went through with Jake when his leg went septic. He was on IV antibiotics for about 5 days and we went through months of medications and bandaging his wound (thankfully we didn't have to have a skin graft done). I have an old post that explains it all if you search it out. That was 3 years ago and now we see a dermatologist and to this day he is still on a low dose of Cephalexin (antibiotic) daily as well as Atopica (to control his allergies) and Ketoconazole (antifungal) every 3 days, plus change his diet to a Kangaroo based kibble. It's been a long expensive road and I truly hope that your baby doesn't go through what we did. Please keep us updated on what's happening with your baby and if I can be of any help send me a PM, I only check the forum every couple of days but will get an e-mail if I get a PM.
 

jwelsh1214

Member
That looks very similar to what we went through with Jake when his leg went septic. He was on IV antibiotics for about 5 days and we went through months of medications and bandaging his wound (thankfully we didn't have to have a skin graft done). I have an old post that explains it all if you search it out. That was 3 years ago and now we see a dermatologist and to this day he is still on a low dose of Cephalexin (antibiotic) daily as well as Atopica (to control his allergies) and Ketoconazole (antifungal) every 3 days, plus change his diet to a Kangaroo based kibble. It's been a long expensive road and I truly hope that your baby doesn't go through what we did. Please keep us updated on what's happening with your baby and if I can be of any help send me a PM, I only check the forum every couple of days but will get an e-mail if I get a PM.


I can only assume something bit him because he always sleeps in his dog house. I noticed he was paying extra attention to his leg and he had a red mark on it. I kept an eye on it and also noticed he was no longer staying in his dog house. The swelling started minimal but accelerated quickly. I vacuumed his dog house out and swapped out his memory foam for a new one along with the bedding and pillows. I got another opinion on it and the new vet said that whats happening is whatever it was that bit him could have started out as an irritation to Zeus causing Zeus to nibble and lick it at it creating an infection. He said what looks like swelling is actually hardened skin tissue created by Zeus's body to protect the plate in his leg from the infection. Zeus has not used the leg for 3 weeks now and his muscles in his thigh have already atrophied and his leg is 3-4 times the size now and looks like its going to explode. The vet said yeah we can give him antibiotics for 6 months to a year and hope the medication works but at his age its going to damage the other hip lugging that weight around (Which is already starting to happen cause his trips around the yard get shorter and shorter) He recommends amputation. I was against it at first but after thinking about it he's right. I cant see my dog like this for another 6 months. He's depressed all the time and doesn't want to eat anything, he's already lost 25 lbs. What are your guys thoughts on this. Keep in mind he is almost 7 yrs old and that other hip wont last carrying that ball and chain around.
 

marke

Well-Known Member
the other leg needs x-rayed top to bottom to make sure it's sound and will hold up , some dogs are not candidates for such a surgery ....... honestly i'd want to give it a try to save it , the vet would have to convince me ......if I read your first post correctly , it hasn't been a month , and if all you've tried is clavamox , there are much better antibiotics that could be tried .......

........ this is the dog I think of everytime I see those infections as yours has , getting to the point of the amputation , was a long expensive road ....... has the infection gotten into the bone ?

 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I agree with Marke. I would also want a second opinion (maybe more), from a teaching hospital and/or someone that specializes in things like this. I don't think a regular vet has dealt with this type of issue enough to really know the best treatment options. Sorry if I missed that you've already gone beyond your regular vet.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Antibiotics for 6 months to a year is not unreasonable. My dog had to be on 2-3 months of cephalexin at 3000 mg a day for a foot infection, just a foot infection. It was a deep tissue bacterial infection. But we did everything we were supposed to and everything turned out ok. I know a lady on the internet that had her dog on antibiotics for 1 year to kill a staph infection, but it worked and now the dog is healthy. I hope you can find a good vet and get a good outcome.
 

jwelsh1214

Member
Antibiotics for 6 months to a year is not unreasonable. My dog had to be on 2-3 months of cephalexin at 3000 mg a day for a foot infection, just a foot infection. It was a deep tissue bacterial infection. But we did everything we were supposed to and everything turned out ok. I know a lady on the internet that had her dog on antibiotics for 1 year to kill a staph infection, but it worked and now the dog is healthy. I hope you can find a good vet and get a good outcome.


We only have 2 vets in the area. What if the antibiotics don't work in the 6 months to a year and all the hard tissue is still there? Then what? He cant use the leg as it is and its hindering the other hind leg due to the extra weight of the bad one. To me it seems cruel to wait that long for something that might work. This whole month of him being on all the medications hasn't improved anything.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
jwelsh, where are you located? When you say in the area, what do you mean? How far are you willing to travel? Perhaps we can help you find somewhere else to take your boy. I know that I've had to go several hours away to see a specialist for my guys before.