A couple of weeks ago, we started to notice that our Weim was having what appeared to be some sort of allergic reaction. It started as a few bumps along the base of his neck down his back. We shrugged it off at the time and gave him some Benadryl, assuming he got stung by something or rubbed on the wrong kind of plant.
Eek! Bumpy Weim!
As the days went by, the bumps worsened, progressing down his sides until his entire back and sides were covered in little bumps that looked like hives. At this point we had no idea what it was and decided to continue giving him the Benadryl, along with a medicated “soothing” bath to try and calm it down. Fast forward a few more days, a lot of Benadryl, and a 3rd bath and we had a dog with more bumps that were now red!
Having been asking around the “Weim World” (i.e., breeders and fellow owners) we had come across a general consensus that it was likely we had a staph infection on our hands. The vet confirmed without hesitation what had been suggested to us – our little guy had acquired a staph infection on his skin, a VERY common occurrence this time of year in climates such as ours with high humidity and temperatures. With the hot and humid weather, we not have the perfect breeding grounds for the normal bacteria on their skin to go out of control.
The cure is quite simple, keep the dog comfortable with Benadryl and continued baths as necessary, and antibiotics (we were prescribed 500mg Cephalexin to be administered three times daily for 21 days). We’re happy to say that our guy is on the mend now, after a 4th bath, more Benadryl and 5 days of antibiotics he’s looking (and hopefully feeling) much better!
Staph Infection in a Nutshell
Symptoms (any or all of the following)
- Bumpy fur or hives
- Red splotches
- Hair loss
- Itching
- Dandruff-like flaking
Causes
- Allergies
- Heat and humidity
- Bug bites particularly flea bites
Treatment
- De-flea the dog and enviornment
- Cephalexin (not any other kind of antibotics!) 500 mg three times daily for 21 days
- Medicated baths with cool water as necessary to calm the skin taking care to not scrub too hard as it can further irritate the skin. Be sure to gently massage the shampoo in and let it soak on the skin for 5-10 minutes.
- Antihistamines for comfort - Benadryl 25 mg capsule, up to 3 caps every 8-12 hours; or Chlor-Trimeton 4 mg capsule, up to 3 caps every 8-12 hours; or Claritin 10 mg tablet, up to 2 tabs every 24 hours. Make sure there are no decongestants in these!
- NO STEROIDS!
Resources
This can be an expensive problem since it must be treated both systemically and topically. Using the resources below can save you more than 50% of what you might purchasing from your veterinarian or buying the name brand.
- Use a generic antihistamine. Diphenhydramine is the generic of Benadryl; Chlorpheniramine is the generic of Chlor-Trimeton; Loratadine is the generic of Claritin.
- Aqua-Flex or Fish-Flex is Cephalexin labeled for fish but often used off-label for dogs.
- Medicated shampoos such as Septiderm or AloeDine.
Reference
- Elena Smith Lamberson’s AKC Gazette article, “Preparing for summer skin problems“
DISCLAIMER: We are not veterinarians and are only speaking from our personal experience and those of many Weimaraner people that have experienced this problem with their dogs. This article is for your information only. Any recommendations are to be used at your own risk.
Have you experienced this problem with your Weimaraner? If so, does he hate taking baths?
Not another bath!
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Sounds exactly what Roxie had last summer and again this summer. Although last summer, the vet said it was just an allergic reaction and to keep treating with Benedryl while I tried to figure out what the allergy was to. This year, I didn’t bother taking her to the vet.
Mindy didn’t mention if he was super itchy along with bumpy?
My weim Spirit has a staph infection almost all the time. The vet has her just doing medicated baths. Hers is just the pinkish splotches, on her chest, tummy, and feet. I have found that a bath with an iodine base works very well if it flares and she starts losing hair. Typically I wil bathe her once every 2-3 weeks, leaving the suds on for about 7-8 minutes. When her staph flares, then we bathe once every 5-7 days. Bathing more often based on how it looks after field time or swimming. Because of Nebraska summers, we can never get out in front of the trouble. My vet recommended a rx shampoo. We tried it, but is was more expensive but didn’t work better. I have found that the shampoo from Horseman’s Dream called AloeDine to work great. It is also more affordable than that of the Rx.
Renee- Luce was much itchier than normal which is why we thought allergies at first, and tried treating at home for a little more than a week. The signs the vet looked at as “tell” were the redness on his skin under the bumps and the dandruffy flaking.
I have had this problem with June and Rocky as well. June has it worse then Rocky, and it gets bad for both of them when they run through fields with high vegetation. The bumps get red, and you can see the yellow infection tip on a lot of them, then they flake and go away. They do not have this in the winter, just in the summer. I have do think with my two is mostly outdoor allergies and irritation from high grass, chest high, then run like crazy through it, even through poison ivy.
I swear by Septiderm V Shampoo. I have used it for years and is the only shampoo I use on my dogs. I could only find it at Petco but now we buy it online by the gallon. My dogs never break out in bumps after they are bathed. My experience from many years ago is that we found many Weims would break out a day or two after a bath and of course when at a show. There may be others that work well but this is all I use and couldn’t be happier.
Great tip Barb, thanks!
Hi everyone,
I have a vet appointment for him, and I’m so very grateful to have an idea of what we’re dealing with ahead of time…just wondering if once it’s gone, is it totally gone? Do you have to go through a cleansing process of dog beds, etc? Any information would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!
I am definitely coming in on this post late in the game – but our breeder referred me to this site, thank heaven! I’m positive that our Weim, Gus, has this infection… I’m concerned about the fact that this might be contagious to humans (aside from the obvious fact that he has it on his skin!) and whether or not he can give it to our GSP, Duke…does anyone have any info on that? Also…he has this in the winter…and from what I gather above, that is not normal either. I feel horrible…like I’ve done something wrong or missed something very important that would have avoided this whole situation!
Amber
Amber,
If it is in fact a staph infetion, just follow the instructions of your vet and make sure to finish the antibiotics and baths, even after your pup starts to look better. Staph are naturally ocuring bacteria on their skin, and it is considered an infection requiring medical attention when they grow out of control. When Luce had his infection, I made sure to follow through with the meds as well as washed all of the dog bedding with bleach and free & clear detergent to be safe/sure. None of the other animals in my home were affected by the infection at all, and everyone is still fine all these months later.
Mindy
Really glad I found this.. my boxer mix got a red mark on his face that we thought might be ring worm, took him to the vet and they did a culture of it- negative for ring worm, did not mention anything about staph infection. Now today (two weeks later) the mark is still there, and his body is covered in bumps, looks just like the photo of your weim. The vet told me when I took him in for the mark on his face that he likely has food allergies- he is always very itchy- so I bought him skin spray, and expensive hypo allergenic dog food. He is still itchy, but seemed to be improving until today when he got all these bumps! I have already spent a TON of money at the vet for all these allergy tests and skin scrapings, and hair follicle tests, and fecal exams- I am really loathe to take him in again… after reading some of the comments I am wondering if medicated shampoo will help by itself plus giving him benedryl. Thanks so much for posting this!
My 11 month boy Weim has had this since the warmer months in NJ has come up on us. He will get the bumps once every 2 weeks. We have tried several medicated shampoos from 2 different vets like Hexadene and Benzoyl-Peroxide. He had a skin scraping and blood work at the first vet which showed no fleas and the blood work proved an infection was present as his white blood count was high. Stool sample has come back perfect. He still broke out and I kind of felt bad for the little guy so we tried another vet recommended by family and he put him on Simplicef for 10 days. He cleared up (like he usually does) and was fine for a week or so with a random bump or two here and there but now he had a full blown break out again. My fiance brought him back to the vet today and he was given a Dexamethasone shot and told to give Benadryl. He has been given the Taste of The Wild food line and has tried every ingredient same result.
Has anyone found the cure or a way to prevent a breakout like this? Is the above noted treament something that will prevent this from happening as often? I’m willing to try anyting to help him out but not feeling so confident in the vets lately. Also can I just order the Cephalexin from a place like 18OOpetmeds and give him the doses suggested above?
Thanks in advance.
TR, I feel for you and your Weim! I have heard of people managing these types of issues by going to a restricted novel protein diet and writing down everything eaten to keep track of what might be provoking him. Also could be something outside? Yes you can order Cephalexin on online stores. Another idea is to take him to a holistic vet, as they tend to look at dealing with the causes of problems rather than trying to bandage/”hide” a symptom. Good luck!
My weim just had hives for the first time. She got a shot of Benedryl and steroids and I bathed her (at 2am) and every hive was gone the next day. They also put her on Denamarin for a few weeks. She had a CBC with an elevated liver marker, which I’m hoping was the result of the steroid shot. I see it was mentioned here not to give a steroids shot – why?
Had the same problem with our weim this summer, she had bumps all over her body and looked miserable. We gave her benedryl and used Espana Antiseptic shampoo and conditioner. The dandruff and irritated skin cleared right up and she was better the next day. You can use the conditioner like a lotion a couple times a day to continue treating and bringing down the irritation if needed. The active ingredient in the antiseptic shampoo and conditioner is eucalyptus.
I have a 3 yr old girl, Benelli and she gets these bumps/hives after a bath. They show up almost immediately , then will itch and flake then they will go away. I have tried giving benedryl even before she gets a bath to try and prevent them, but they still take over! I have been bathing her with horse shampoo for abput 5 months and until last month had zero hives. Thought maybe she was allergic to other shampoos and this might be the only one she can tolerate unitl she got hives. It seems that if we get the hives in check before they get too bad she doesn’t have to see the vet for staph infection. this happens all year long and doesnt seem to be a connection to any particular season. What can I do she needs and bath and is beginng to smell up my house?
TR:
My gal suffered from the same issue when i first got her. We live in Seattle WA so our weather in the summer is hot and very humid. I did not trust the vets here in the area as they nickel and dime you to death so I took her back to my home town of Brewster. Long story short my life long country vet had seen this in the breed before from a local who also has a weim and recommended switching to Kirkland’s salmon and sweet potato grain free blend food and we did a round of Cephalexin. we also give her fish oil in her food daily. that has worked I also keep a bottle of the cephalexin aka (FISH FLEX) order on line handy for each summer when it starts to get hot in case i see little bumps. It was also recommended that a light rub down of bag balm Yes folks Bag Balm the green square tin, twice a month. Trust me It works We don’t have any issues and when we do it because I’ve been to lazy to rub her down. I hope this helps others that read
I have a two year old Wiem boy..We live in sunny San Diego. …Four weeks ago after Clyde’s weekly bath I saw all these little bumps on his back,, jokingly I told my mom Clyde was breaking out like a teenager,Since we had just celebrated his Bark- Mitzva , LOL,,,,I then found your post here on this awesome site and followed your instructions to the tee,,I’ts been five days now and Clyde’s bumps have gone down..Will continue for the whole 21 days along with the Benadryl. Clyde and I thank you…Being a over protective dad,,I was ready to run to the vet,,I swear his Vet’s new porsche was paid for by me,,,,Saved me a good bundle,,and BTW this Cephalexin seems to always be the go to by Clyde’s vet,,,I’d rather pay the $26.99 off brand instead of the $100 from the vet.
Thank you so much for the post!!!
Gretl had a full blown body full of the bumps when she was 7 months old. After trying everything from the vet, and nothing was really helping, I had to help her. I figured it out, her food. I changed the meat and started feeding her venison and rice. Wow, what a huge change, no more bumps
I also drizzle a little olive oil, shiney coat and no dry skin
I just wrote in the contact link, but found this. Does anyone have any advice on incontinence? The natural pills do not work on her, proin, sometimes works, putting her down is not an option. Help. She does this in her sleep.
I’m sorry you guys are going through this. Have you tried corn silk powder?
Hi everyone, I have a two year old Weimaraner who gets these hive like bumps every summer. They don’t seem to bother him, I just hate the way they look! There are a total of about thirty down his back. They’re not red, just raised bumps that make the hair stand up. Last summer we used cephalexin which helped while he was taking it. I live in fl so our summers are extremely hot and humid. Once the weather cools down they always go away. So you can order cephalexin online? I feed him a grain free dog food (merrick) I also feed some raw every now and then. Any advice would help!
Hi Candance, You can order cephalexin online, look for “FishFlex.”