Allergic reaction to insect bite -- daily treatment advice pls

[shockthemonkey]

Hi, I will try to attach a picture. My lovely lab has been plagued with an allergic reaction to an insect bite, it has been coming and going since late June basically.

Have been to vets three times now, and each time she's had a cortisone jab... at the first visit she went on a course of antibiotics as the site seemed to be infected.

I am following instructions for daily cleaning of the site, but wonder if I should be more insistent on washing the crusty part (scab?) off each time. It is not my instinct to wash a scab off as I would have thought scabbing over is part of healing but the vet doesn't like this particular scab.

I am currently using an antiseptic wash followed by cortisone cream (both prescribed by vet). Previously it was a wash followed by disinfectant solution followed by cortisone cream, twice a day.

So do I need to "scrub" (am wary of hurting her), or rinse extra thoroughly (vet did not mention this), or should I let it scab over (not apparently what the vet wanted as he kept talking about removing the "scab" daily).

When I talk about the crust/scab, it's not thick at all, the skin is sort of stiffer than healthy skin, and the surface is a little like sandpaper.

I tried my best with the photo...

Oh and it's on her cheek just between her ear and her eye.

You can see her ear on the left and can just make out the darker hair at the corner of her eye on the right

Has it been spreading? Enlarging? Because it looks pretty nasty. Has your vet considered a secondary infection with necrotizing fasciitis?

The color is hard to tell on your picture but the sore looks purplely like it could be similar to Alabama rot which is a necrotizing fasciitis that affects dogs and has been reported in Lincolnshire in the U.K. It sometimes gets into the skin via an insect bite. So the fact it started as an insect bite doesn’t mean it can’t be NF/Alabama rot. Here is a picture of what it looks like. I can’t tell if the dark spot on your picture is her skin tone or like this...

Oh no. Thanks for answering, but that's scary.

It's not quite as angry looking as that picture.

We're in France (north, Paris area) if that makes a difference.

I have heard of Alabama rot and really don't want it to be that!

It has not spread in the last ten days. It spread a tiny bit when it first happened, then after six weeks treatment it seemed to go away entirely. Only ten days ago it seemed to have re-appeared in very nearly the same spot (about an inch away from the original site).

Vet did not mention necrotizing fasciitis nor Alabama rot but I have been seeing reports about it and not liking the sound of it.

Oh, and the vet said this time "It's not nasty but you did well to come so we can nip it in the bud".

This time I saw the partner of the vet who saw her the last two times, but he has access to her notes and I'm sure they would have talked about her. I am a very loyal client of theirs what with one thing and another!

I really should have said, Ddog is perfectly happy in her day-to-day. She is five years old and has just begun to lose some of her puppy exhuberance but she is very happy on walks and eats very well. Plays with other dogs that interest her, and demands her usual cuddles and games with us of an evening.

I'm sorry, I keep thinking of things I should add.

The skin is not at all broken. It is just rough to the touch.

What I forgot to ask my vet is, when do I bring her back if no improvement? Ie should I be persistent and patient, or get worried after ten days of no improvement?

I guess the reassuring thing is it doesn't seem to be spreading, or at least it's not spreading fast, and her behaviour is not affected.