Sore lips still.....

[rubyduby]

Well have tried , shaving, cleaning, creams, hibiscrub even Thornits powder, but still hve two dogs with lip fold dermatitis, must be down by around £200 in the last month just on this....someone suggested apple cider vinegar? Anyone else any suggestions that work, the vets (2 different ones) seem keener on taking money than curing the problem, dont think they know what to do...

[Mari]

I've probably mentioned it before but surgery is an option   My girl had this done after months of painful and unsuccessful medical treatments. The operation is not particularly invasive since they only remove the infected skin and suture the fresh edges back together. The tissue around the mouth is well vascularised with blood vessels so the surgical wound tends to heal quickly without even needing antibiotics. It should also significantly reduce the chances of recurring infections since the excess skin is removed and fold no longer there to cause problems. My girl was herself again the day after the surgery, and we have not had any problems since, it's been many years now. Obviously discuss with your vet, but this was how my vet explained it. And I am so glad we did it Even with the fresh surgical wound she was less painfull than with the infection.

[Jaysmumagain]

I understand how frustrated you are and want the very best in veterinary and advice........sadly only had mild lip fold issues with Ollie and was told to use one cap non alcohol adult mouth wash mixed with one cap cooled boiled water and apply with cotton balls, this has always worked this was via a cocker spaniel breeder.  It improved in 3-5 days so was only mild.

I understand you are in Lancashire and wonder if maybe asking if anyone can recommend vets in a reasonable travel area might help. 

Just another thought did the vet do a swab to identify if there was any certain bacteria.........more cost but if the bacteria is found the right antibotic might be given

[rubyduby]

Sadly Ruby cant have surgery as there is a risk as she has kidney issues, the vet has now suggested Malaseb shampoo?? he suggested nappy rash cream , I am concerned if they lick these products ...are they safe? talk about try anything...I am stuck, two dogs with lip problems and vets that haven't a clue (two different ones) just after ideas to try, cant be worse than the vets

[rubyduby]

The vet didn't do a swab, he doesn't seem to know what to do

[Mari]

What a frustrating situation! I would follow advice others have given and get the vet to do a swab and find out what bacteria is present and if there is any drug resistency. That way he can choose antibiotics that will work on that specific bacteria. He can send the sample to a lab and get results back with the information he needs to prescribe correct treatment.
I know when my girl was struggling we tried an antibiotic ointment that the vet said often worked. Don't remember the name unfortunately. We also tried a shampoo that I don't recall the name of. Must have been something along the lines of malaseb. Smelled very strongly so I tried to avoid letting her lick it. But it probably tasted bad too so it wasn't really a problem. I had to use it several times a day and let it sit on the skin for some minutes before rinsing. It did help, though not enough in our case, but it can absolutely work.
I guess you could try stomodine if you are concerned about ingestion. It contains clorhexidine digluconat and tris-EDTA (typical for treatment of fungal infections but will also kill some bacterias). Stomodine is made to be used in the mouth so it should at least be safe. Don't know if it will have enough effect for lip fold dermatitis though, but at least it should be safe.

[aliceandlouis]

What a frustrating situation! I would follow advice others have given and get the vet to do a swab and find out what bacteria is present and if there is any drug resistency. That way he can choose antibiotics that will work on that specific bacteria. He can send the sample to a lab and get results back with the information he needs to prescribe correct treatment.
I know when my girl was struggling we tried an antibiotic ointment that the vet said often worked. Don't remember the name unfortunately. We also tried a shampoo that I don't recall the name of. Must have been something along the lines of malaseb. Smelled very strongly so I tried to avoid letting her lick it. But it probably tasted bad too so it wasn't really a problem. I had to use it several times a day and let it sit on the skin for some minutes before rinsing. It did help, though not enough in our case, but it can absolutely work.
I guess you could try stomodine if you are concerned about ingestion. It contains clorhexidine digluconat and tris-EDTA (typical for treatment of fungal infections but will also kill some bacterias). Stomodine is made to be used in the mouth so it should at least be safe. Don't know if it will have enough effect for lip fold dermatitis though, but at least it should be safe.

Really constructive advice Mari - hope that it gives rubyduby a way to sort out the problem - am guessing a significant issue will be the cost of the consultation and treatments - they don't sound cheap?

[Mari]

Really constructive advice Mari - hope that it gives rubyduby a way to sort out the problem - am guessing a significant issue will be the cost of the consultation and treatments - they don't sound cheap?

Ugh vet bills are always difficult! Especially with conditions like this when the treatments drag out I suppose one could ask the vet what it would cost to send a sample to a lab? If it's too expensive then trying to treat it at home with whatever shampoo he says is safe is worth a try  Better if you can treat it without antibiotics anyway, but if it comes to it and antibiotics is needed it is always good to swab first.

[rubyduby]

Thanks for the suggestiions, they have both had antibiotics which made no difference, and yes sadly cost is now an issue as one of my girls has now cost us nearly£3,000 in the last year just for tests and meds for her kidney issues...most as usual wasted money...I will try malaseb shampoo, though concerned as they both have small open sores ontheir lips and this might sting, I am going to try a drop of cider vinegar in their drinking water if only to act as a mild form of treatment, but darent risk Ruby not drinking with her kidneys

[rubyduby]

Where might I get stomodine?

[Poppsie]

Sorry to hear that nothing has worked for your fur babies  when Phoebe got this hibiscrub was useless on her  so I tried using sudocreme nappy rash cream  and it worked! You have to use it sparingly so they don't lick it off as it contains zinc oxide which isn't very good for dogs albeit it big amounts. Also after she had a drink I made sure that I dried her mouth with a soft tissue so that it would keep the moisture down  hope some of this helps ? x x x

[Guelder Rose]

Grace continues to have lip fold issues, but only on the right side - the left side has been healed for some time now.

We have tried various treatments, at one point a swab was taken that showed she had an anti-biotic resistant bacteria present - she was on medication for several weeks, both tablets and topical but what finally got rid of the infection was flamazine cream.  Sadly, although she did heal the area on her right side opened up again and just won't heal properly, but there isn't any green discharge anymore.  I clean her mouth daily and wipe her mouth when she drinks to try and reduce the moisture - I also keep the hair cut very short.  There is one single spot about the size of a pea that remains sore - it doesn't bother her as when she is sore she nods her head up and down and she would also flinch when cleaning the area - she doesn't do that now.  I've also tried Thornits but that didn't help either. 

I'm really at a loss right now as you are - it seems all I can do is to keep the area clean and as dry as possible and hope that she doesn't get any nasty infection again.  I'm not sure yet whether surgery is the answer - I keep hoping that the right side might suddenly decide to heal and stay healed the same as the left side.

[Mari]

Where might I get stomodine?

It is sold at vet offices or at pet pharmacies where I'm from. But I have no idea if it is going to be strong enough for a lip fold infection.

I remember when I treated my girl that she had a pretty nasty raw sore that produced pus. She was very painful so treating it was difficult, especially with the creams. The shampoo did not seem as bad, at least for her. I'm thinking that treatment, though painful, can save them discomfort later. So I just did it and rewarded her with treats and playtime after each treatment to make her forget.

Hope something works soon, sounds like you and your dogs have had more than your share this year

[Holly Berry]

As a lasting resort you could try Manuka honey. Use the one with the highest antibacterial rating.

Clean the area and make sure it's really dry; bacteria needs moisture to survive, and apparently sugar dehydrates. Apply the honey to the area, and then the difficulty is them not licking it off, so you may also want to give them a teaspoon full orally. Bacteria can't live on sugar and it's been used successfully on wounds that won't heal and have become infected.

If it doesn't work you can always put it on toast 

[phoenix]

We used dilute hibiscrub.  If it was recurring, I can't see why the nip and tuck op can't be done. It must be so sore.